BioWare’s cancelled Mass Effect game would’ve learned from Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Witcher to deliver “a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has”

EA has shuttered BioWare, the legendary RPG developer behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, eliminating the studio and cancelling the fifth entry in the Mass Effect series. Approximately 50 staff members were in pre-production on the unreleased game when the decision was announced.

Following the studio’s closure, former developer Tony de Waal provided rare insight into the cancelled project’s vision. According to de Waal’s LinkedIn post, the team was working to deliver an unprecedented level of player autonomy and choice, aiming to compete with the critically acclaimed RPGs produced by Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) and CD Projekt Red (The Witcher series). The developer expressed regret that the game would never reach players in its intended form.

The cancellation represents another significant consolidation move within the gaming industry, with notable consequences for both the franchise’s future and the affected employees at one of gaming’s most storied studios.

Sources

• BioWare’s cancelled Mass Effect game would’ve learned from Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Witcher to deliver “a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has”
• Mass Effect 5 Dev Says BioWare Saw What Larian and CD Projekt Had Done in the RPG Space and Was Taking the Franchise to ‘The Next Level’
• Mass Effect 5 was aiming to offer a “level of autonomy and choice” that could vault it into orbit with Larian and CD Projekt’s top RPGs, former dev says post-cancellation