EA Reportedly Chose Star Wars Battlefront III Over Mass Effect Before Closing BioWare
Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, says EA weighed two costly sci-fi games and backed Star Wars Battlefront III over a new Mass Effect. Here's what is reported.
A new Bloomberg report, written by Jason Schreier, claims EA shut down BioWare's next Mass Effect game because executives saw a new Star Wars: Battlefront as the safer investment. Pure Xbox, PC Gamer and Push Square all covered it. This article separates what is reported from what the outlets describe as settled.
What Bloomberg reports
According to Bloomberg's anonymous sources, EA executives reviewed the company's portfolio a few months ago. They found two sci-fi action games, Star Wars Battlefront III and the next Mass Effect, each projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The report says they chose Star Wars and BioWare was shut down as a result. The sources spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to talk to the press, as Pure Xbox quotes the report.
Bloomberg says executives viewed Battlefront III as a "less risky, more predictable bet". It also says EA is more comfortable with shooters than with RPGs.
Other factors in the report
The outlets say Bloomberg also points to BioWare's track record. EA reportedly saw Mass Effect: Andromeda, Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard as financial disappointments. Pure Xbox says the report claims Veilguard missed sales expectations by 50%.
Push Square says Veilguard's weak sales led EA to cut BioWare's staff heavily, leaving about 50 employees when the studio closed last week. It also says Schreier sees the investment and risk of a new Mass Effect as the driving force behind the closure.
PC Gamer adds another detail from Bloomberg. Laura Miele, an EA executive who had historically backed BioWare, was reportedly "sidelined". Sports executives David Tinson and Cam Weber were reportedly promoted.
Schreier's wider conclusion, quoted by Push Square, is that game budgets have grown far faster than sales. He says that pushes companies to focus only on their biggest franchises.
Confirmed versus reported
What the outlets treat as fact is that BioWare has closed and that the next Mass Effect is cancelled. Push Square says fans have since started petitions and paid for billboards to try to save the series.
The reasoning is different. The "two games, one choice" account rests on unnamed people familiar with the matter. The sources we have do not include EA confirming that explanation.
Pure Xbox quotes an EA statement about making "tough decisions to focus our teams on the biggest opportunities for our future". It does not mention Battlefront or Mass Effect by name. The outlet does not say where the statement was published.
Details about Battlefront III also differ in tone. Push Square, citing Schreier, says it has not entered development at EA DICE and Respawn Entertainment. Pure Xbox adds talk about which studio will make it and a possible Bungie pitch, but it describes those as rumours. We have not treated them as fact.
What happens next
Nothing in the sources gives a release window, platforms or an official announcement for Star Wars Battlefront III, and none is confirmed. Watch for any EA statement that addresses the Bloomberg account directly. For now, treat the Battlefront-versus-Mass-Effect explanation as a credible report from a respected outlet, not as a company-confirmed decision.
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Quick answers
Has EA confirmed it chose Battlefront III over Mass Effect?
Not in the sources provided. The claim comes from Bloomberg's anonymous sources, and the EA statement quoted by Pure Xbox only refers to "tough decisions".
Is Star Wars Battlefront III in development?
According to Push Square's summary of the Bloomberg report, it has not yet entered development. No release date or platforms are given.
Is BioWare still open?
Push Square says BioWare was closed last week, with about 50 employees remaining at that point.
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