Games industry analysts told IGN that BioWare was likely doomed well before EA’s $55 billion acquisition, explaining that games like Mass Effect are now considered “prestige projects” for the company, and it’s unlikely the sci-fi franchise, nor BioWare’s other IPs, are sold off.
On October 21, EA announced a major shift in strategy and a significant internal restructuring that involves the cancelation of a number of projects, the closure of BioWare, and a reported 400 people losing their jobs. The Canadian studio, known for franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, was shut down after more than 30 years of creating beloved role-playing games. Mass Effect fans must now consider that the franchise is dead — something the leaked internal trailer for Mass Effect Universe made all the more difficult to accept.
Needless to say, Mass Effect fans were gutted by the news, hoping against hope that EA might sell off BioWare’s IP rather than letting them languish in obscurity. But analysts have expressed doubt that outside companies will take on BioWare's franchises, even as EA faces down a massive debt incurred by its acquisition.
When asked about this possibility, industry analyst Joost van Dreunen said, “maybe,” but explained that these IPs are likely far too costly — and far too time-consuming — for other developers to tackle.
“In many ways, BioWare's IP is in the same boat as some of the other studios we recently saw being divested. They are all well-known and too expensive for most buyers. Capable publishers like CD Projekt Red already have their hands full with their own projects,” he said. (He’s not wrong; CDPR certainly has a lot on its plate right now, what with The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2 being in active development.)
The next Mass Effect was announced six years ago, at The Game Awards 2020, and this time last year Mike Gamble, now former executive producer of Mass Effect at BioWare, celebrated N7 Day to say the game was still in development. He even expressed excitement about the Amazon TV series (which IGN understands is currently still in the works), and insisted EA and BioWare "remain committed to telling more stories in this universe."
So what changed? Why cancel Mass Effect 5 now? Van Dreunen told us that, in EA’s eyes, legacy IPs like Mass Effect are likely being viewed as “prestige projects,” and the future looks grim for other development teams still underneath EA’s umbrella.
"Before its buyout, EA had been focusing on building recurring revenue streams, and the focus of its new owners is sports, live service, and new markets like Asia. Even if Mass Effect and Dragon Age were fantastically successful, corporate will insist on predictable cash flow. It makes franchises like Mass Effect a prestige project,” he continued.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.ign.com/articles/franchises-like-mass-effect-are-a-prestige-project-for-ea-and-biowares-closure-was-entirely-predictable-analysts-say
