Key facts
- Electronic Arts announced on October 21, 2026 that it was closing BioWare's Edmonton studio as part of a major internal restructuring and strategy shift.
- Avi Lewis wrote on social media that private equity buys businesses, runs them into the ground, and rips them apart for short-term profit.
- BioWare, known for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, closed after operating for more than 30 years as a role-playing game developer.
- Reports indicated that BioWare had 50 staff working on the next Mass Effect when all were cut by the closure.
Avi Lewis, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, called on October 21, 2026 for federal support so BioWare developers could buy the Edmonton studio from Electronic Arts and run it themselves, the same day the publisher announced the studio’s closure and roughly 400 job losses.
Lewis posted the proposal on Bluesky on October 21, 2026 at 21:55, saying the developers at BioWare know how to run the studio and know how to make the games fans love. Electronic Arts announced the closure that day as part of a major internal restructuring and strategy shift that cancelled several projects. About 400 people would lose their jobs across multiple studios including Respawn, Maxis, Full Circle, and more, and 50 staff working on the next Mass Effect were cut.
BioWare, known for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, had operated for more than 30 years as a role-playing game developer and created the RPG conversation wheel design that later became standard across the genre. One day after the October 21 announcement, footage from a canceled Mass Effect appeared online featuring alien smooching, blue tentacle-headed women, and the title Mass Effect Universe.
Lewis wrote on social media that private equity firms buy businesses, runs them into the ground, and rips them apart for short-term profit. “This is private equity, this is what it does,” he said. “They know how to make the games we all love,” he said. He linked the BioWare closure to private equity ownership and said the practice destroys companies for quick gains.
Lewis named no specific figure for federal support, but said it could take forms such as loan guarantees or a one-time grant. A staff buyout would require a ready team, a buyer structure, and a willing seller, and every week of silence from EA makes the rescue harder to assemble. Games studios lose value quickly once staff leave because skilled developers have options and many take job offers in the weeks after a layoff.
Electronic Arts may prefer to wind down cleanly and keep its intellectual property off the market, and selling to former employees could create a competitor. A studio comprises people, equipment, a lease, and contracts, while franchises are a separate asset, and reports do not say whether EA would sell, license, or keep rights to Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Licensing a flagship series raises brand-control concerns.
The New Democratic Party holds just five seats, limiting its ability to direct federal money alone. Eleanor Olszewski, who represents Edmonton Centre in Parliament, expressed disappointment about the closure and did not offer a specific rescue plan. Political reactions like Avi Lewis’s are rare because most studio closures end with layoff notices, social-media farewells, and quiet staff departures, while elected officials almost never propose ownership changes.
Lewis’s call for federal support of an employee-led buyout of a game studio is new territory in the Canadian conversation. Lewis was elected to lead the New Democratic Party to correct a trend toward moderate positions and to support a more incisive line on economic and social issues. He has backed anti-fascist initiatives and invoked nationalization of strategic Canadian sectors under the control of large international interests.
Some reports mention a $55 billion acquisition of EA by an investor group including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, approved in December 2025, though Tech Insider could not independently confirm it. Eurogamer reported that EA was recently acquired through a record-breaking leveraged buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group as well as Jared Kushner’s private equity firm. Since the acquisition, EA has focused only on its biggest brands, mainly Battlefield and sports titles, while pushing other series aside.
Canada offers significant federal and provincial tax relief for video game development studios to offset costs and encourage permanent bases in major Canadian cities. Canada courts foreign investment in cultural and technology businesses, and the BioWare closure gives opponents of that approach a vivid example. Edmonton loses a well-known games employer, and the closure sends a signal to other studios and to talent weighing where to work. For Electronic Arts, the immediate market effect of closing BioWare is reputational, handing critics a narrative about short-term thinking.
Games already released by BioWare should continue to function even though the studio has closed, although future support and updates might change. No public details exist on a sale process, franchise licensing, or a timeline for unfinished in-development work.
Developers from Larian, CD Projekt Red, and Warren Spector expressed sadness, frustration, and support following BioWare’s closure last week. Some social media supporters suggested, apparently ironically, that BioWare be nationalized to ensure its survival, but Lewis’s proposal does not yet amount to a concrete acquisition plan.
A Mexican lawmaker in September called for stronger consumer protections for digital goods following Sony’s move away from physical discs. Late last year, British parliament raised Concord’s swift shutdown during a discussion on consumer rights protections, as well as Rockstar’s ongoing tribunal involving fired workers.
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