EA Chose Unannounced Star Wars: Battlefront 3 Over BioWare's Mass Effect Amid $18 Billion Debt, Report Says

Electronic Arts' decision to shutter BioWare came down to a stark financial choice between two big-budget projects, according to a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier. Facing $18 billion in leveraged debt after its sale to a consortium including Saudi Arabia's investment fund, EA executives opted to fund an unannounced Star Wars: Battlefront 3 over a new Mass Effect, viewing the shooter as a safer, more predictable bet. The publisher has historically been more comfortable with shooters than RPGs, and BioWare's recent track record—including Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard failing to meet sales expectations—weighed heavily. Corporate politics also played a role: key BioWare advocate Laura Miele was reportedly sidelined as EA Sports veterans David Tinson and Cam Weber rose. Battlefront 3 hasn't even begun development, making the trade-off particularly bitter for fans of the beloved RPG studio. The closure ends a 30-year legacy, but details of the lost Mass Effect project have surfaced online, including a trailer for Mass Effect: Universe and an experimental audition score by composer Austin Wintory. For now, EA is betting on a galaxy far, far away—while Mass Effect's future remains uncertain.