EA reportedly chose to fund Star Wars Battlefront III over the next Mass Effect, a decision that led to BioWare’s shutdown. A new report points to a costly choice between two sci-fi projects as a central reason behind the publisher’s move.
According to Bloomberg, executives reviewed EA’s upcoming games and decided that Star Wars offered a safer investment. The report adds a painful explanation for the cancellation of the series’ next chapter.
In brief:
- EA reportedly weighed Star Wars Battlefront III against the next Mass Effect during a review of its upcoming projects.
- Both games were projected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars each.
- Executives considered Battlefront III the less risky investment, even though development reportedly had yet to begin.
- BioWare confirmed its closure and the end of early development on the next Mass Effect on October 21.
EA Reportedly Picked Battlefront III Over Mass Effect
People familiar with the decision said EA’s executives were looking at two expensive sci-fi action games in their future lineup: Star Wars Battlefront III and the next Mass Effect.
Each project was expected to require hundreds of millions of dollars. EA chose to invest in Star Wars, with BioWare’s closure following that decision, according to the report’s anonymous sources.
The excerpt places EA’s expectations about cost and commercial risk at the heart of that choice. It does not provide exact budgets or sales targets for either game.
Star Wars Battlefront III Reportedly Had Yet to Begin Development
One of the most striking details is how early Battlefront III apparently was. Bloomberg’s excerpt says development had not even begun, yet executives already viewed it as a more predictable investment than another Mass Effect.
The report also describes EA, the publisher behind Battlefield, as more comfortable with shooters than RPGs. And that gives some context to its reported preference for Battlefront, although the excerpt provides no release window for the project.
BioWare’s Closure Ended the Next Mass Effect Project
BioWare’s October 21 statement confirmed that the studio was closing and early development on the next Mass Effect was ending. The announcement brought more than three decades of game development to a close.
The closure included BioWare’s Edmonton workspace, while EA outlined plans to concentrate on fewer large-scale action-adventure projects.
