Zeschuk says EA buyout was final nail in the coffin for BioWare

Electronic Arts closed BioWare on Oct. 21, just over 30 years after the studio was founded. Polygon described the move as EA shutting down a legendary RPG studio, and GameRant reported that EA officially confirmed the closure in October. The closure cut 50 jobs at BioWare as part of 400 layoffs across Electronic Arts and cancelled Mass Effect 5, which a leaked internal trailer called Mass Effect: Universe. Co-founder Greg Zeschuk said he learned of the closure through text messages and that his reaction was muted because he was not present when it happened.

Polygon said he found out through a flurry of texts and went home, while Skoar Championship said he reacted with subdued emotion. IGN said he spoke to 80 Level about the closure.

Zeschuk and co-founder Ray Muzyka had already said their emotional goodbyes when they left BioWare in 2012. IGN added that their departure came months after Mass Effect 3 launched. Polygon and Skoar Championship said they left in 2012 and had already processed their emotions, having had time to come to terms with their departure. Zeschuk is not sentimental about BioWare because his beer brewing business is going well and that chapter closed, IGN reported.

He went through his emotions long ago after leaving in 2012, several months after Mass Effect 3 launched.

Zeschuk criticized executives without game development experience, saying they wrongly believe random people and AI can recreate great games. Polygon said he directed ire at inexperienced executives and their over-reliance on AI. “There’s this strange notion that you can just recreate great games with random people and AI. It doesn’t work,” Zeschuk said.

Zeschuk said people on the business track at game companies never come from the development track and have never made a game from start to finish. Polygon said none of these people have sat and made a game, even a small thing, and they do not know how it works.

Zeschuk said the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s $55 private buyout of EA was unsurprising and served as the final nail in the coffin for BioWare. “I think it was the final nail in the coffin,” he said.

Zeschuk said BioWare makes unusual, complicated games that take a long time, making it easier for EA to publish sports games every year under a better business model. IGN said this was part of Zeschuk’s explanation for the closure following the ownership change.

BioWare’s shutdown would hit Edmonton the hardest because the studio was in Edmonton. Polygon called Edmonton the home of BioWare, and Skoar Championship said the city would feel the effects most. Zeschuk expressed empathy for former employees facing job loss, calling the job hunt a terrifying and super sad search. Polygon said his empathy is more reserved for those who lost jobs, and Skoar Championship said his heart goes out more to people now facing job loss.

Composer Austin Wintory had been in discussions with EA and BioWare about composing the soundtrack for Mass Effect 5 and released 22 minutes of Mass Effect music to try to get hired. IGN said Wintory was a fan of the series before the cancellation ended those discussions.

Public reaction to BioWare’s closure included anger and sadness, with IGN calling it the greatest RPG developer ever and other writers lamenting lost redemption and EA’s misunderstanding of the studio. Fans expressed anger and sadness at losing a studio with an incredible legacy. IGN described this as part of the wider gaming public reaction to the closure, noting the strong emotional response from the community.

Epic Games remains all-in on artificial intelligence for Unreal Engine 6 and its gaming portfolio, according to an Oct. 28 statement by executive vice president of development Marcus Wassmer. Polygon said Epic clarified how it is using AI across its gaming portfolio, and Skoar Championship said Wassmer outlined how Epic is leveraging AI for Unreal Engine 6. Epic reportedly encourages developers to use generative AI tools such as Anthropic’s Claude instead of fostering traditional development skills.

PlayStation is openly embracing generative AI in game development while other studios take a stricter view. Tech4Gamers framed generative AI as a major topic of debate in the industry on June 30, 2026, with some companies embracing it and others resisting.

Former BioWare employee and ex-Dragon Age narrative lead David Gaider called generative AI a plague and said the industry should not adopt it as widely as it currently does. Tech4Gamers reported Gaider’s comments to GamesRadar and noted he is a non-believer in the technology. Gaider said generative AI models train on existing material, their output can create future legal issues, and using the technology is morally wrong. “it should be treated like the virulent plague it is,” he said, arguing that the industry should treat generative AI like a virulent plague until decision-makers realize it is not the cheap labor replacement they want.