Electronic Arts headquarters in Redwood City, California, June 8, 2023. Electronic Arts Inc. is an American video game company. (JHVEPhoto via Getty)
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Electronic Arts shut down BioWare, the longtime video game studio behind the “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” franchises, after years of disappointing releases and controversy over its games’ identity-politics themes.
BioWare, founded in 1995, has closed after 31 years. Bloomberg reported that the studio “has struggled in recent years with critically panned titles such as ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ and ‘Anthem,’” and that the “studio’s most recent game, ‘Dragon Age: The Veilguard,’ missed sales expectations and led EA to gut the studio last year.”
“Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending, the studio said in an Oct. 21 company blog post.
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“There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games and supporting one another through this transition.”
BioWare became famous for games like “Dragon Age: Origins,” a critically acclaimed dark fantasy role-playing game. However, the series’ most recent installment, “Dragon Age: The Veilguard,” underperformed, attracting approximately 1.5 million players during its launch quarter, nearly 50% below EA’s expectations, according to the company.
A gamer plays the video game “Dragon Age: The Veilguard” developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts on the Xbox console during Paris Games Week Oct. 22, 2024, in Paris, France. (Chesnot/Getty Images)
Former “Dragon Age” lead writer David Gaider later said another installment was unlikely under EA and that the series previously survived because it had outperformed expectations.
“The Veilguard” also drew controversy for its transgender and nonbinary themes, including a character creation option allowing players to add top surgery scars. In one scene criticized online, a character accidentally misgenders another character, who is nonbinary, and performs a fictional apology ritual.
Two months after the game’s release, Inverse reported that “The Veilguard” had faced backlash over its handling of identity politics, an issue that has sparked debate about other recent video games.
The game’s director, Corinne Busche, who is transgender, spoke to Inverse about how themes of identity influenced the game.
“I’m an openly queer, trans woman,” Busche told the outlet. “It shaped everything about who I am, and it’s been the source of a lot of joy, a lot of difficulty and perspective. For me personally, one of the greatest gifts about being trans is the amount of introspection it forces upon you. You spend a lot of time deeply examining who you are and why that matters.”
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Electronic Arts announced the closure of its BioWare video game studio on Oct. 21, after several disappointing game releases. (Reuters)
Over the past decade, several video games have sparked controversy over the inclusion of progressive political themes. Marty O’Donnell, a Republican congressional candidate and composer for the “Halo” video game series, spoke to Digital about how he believes BioWare’s closure reflects a larger phenomenon that has been developing for years.
“For the last few years, BioWare hasn’t been in touch with its fans as it got infected with woke ideology, including a scene in ‘Dragon Age’ where a character came out as non-binary,” O’Donnell said.
“The game failed to sell, which surprised no one who understands the industry.
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“EA took BioWare and ruined it by preaching to their audience,” he continued. “I knew Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, who started BioWare, well, and I’m glad they got out at a good time before EA destroyed their company. More companies like Bungie and BioWare will be shuttered until the executives wake up and realize fans want politics out of their games.”
