Although EA announced a purge of 400 jobs yesterday and the closure of BioWare, the Prime Video Mass Effect series is still a go, for now.
In case you missed it, Electronic Arts shockingly committed to 400 more layoffs yesterday, and the legendary studio, BioWare, was closed in the fallout. With BioWare closed, development on a fifth Mass Effect title has gone with it, cancelled as collateral damage. With the studio and the vast worlds and series it brought to life gone, fans might be wondering if the Prime Video series is also cancelled, and a new report from IGN has revealed the series is safe for now.
The Mass Effect series was announced in November 2024, and since then, not much else has been revealed. Prime Video announced it added Doug Jung as showrunner, and the series has been defended by its lead writer, Daniel Casey, as being closer to the games than rumours suggest. The series has also been confirmed to take place after the events of the trilogy, and it will not feature Commander Shepard and co. The main confirmation is that Amazon intends to move forward with the show at Amazon MGM Studios, and that all creatives who were attached to the project remain on board.
Regarding the closure of BioWare (and the studio’s official closure announcement) and whatever the reasons are for it, fans are taking it badly and rightfully so. Forums like Reddit and media websites are loaded with obituaries and posts celebrating what BioWare has meant to them over the years, and the journeys the studio has taken gamers on with the legendary KOTOR, Dragon Age and Mass Effect series. The main sentiment is resentment toward EA for mismanaging the studio, with many blaming Electronic Arts for the studio’s health over recent years. BioWare itself signed off for the last time with grace, telling fans, “thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story.”
Although BioWare is closing, Prime Video intends to carry the torch and bring the series to life on Prime Video, for the time being at least.
