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Report: EA closed BioWare because it picked Star Wars Battlefront 3 over Mass Effect

Electronic Arts closed BioWare because it had to choose between two expensive science-fiction projects, a new Mass Effect and a new Star Wars: Battlefront, and it chose Battlefront, according to a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier. Kotaku, Eurogamer and GameSpot all covered the report on 30 October, nine days after the closure.

“The publisher weighed which sci-fi project it wanted to invest in, and the upcoming multiplayer game won the coin toss” — Kotaku

GameSpot said the decision was driven by economics: after its sale to a consortium including Saudi Arabia's investment fund, EA is paying off $18 billion in leveraged debt, and Battlefront 3 looked like the safer bet. It added that Battlefront 3 is not yet in development and has not been officially announced. On 22 October, Eurogamer had reported that a new Battlefront was said to involve both DICE and Respawn.

Eurogamer framed it as EA being “forced to choose” between the two games, and the choice falling on Star Wars.

How each outlet framed it

• Kotaku — a coin toss between two sci-fi bets, with the multiplayer game winning.
• Eurogamer — a forced choice, tied to its earlier reporting on the DICE/Respawn Battlefront.
• GameSpot — the money: debt from the buyout, and a winning game that does not exist yet.

What we don't know yet: EA has not commented on the report, and has not announced Battlefront 3 or said what happens to the Mass Effect series.