EA Shutters BioWare

After going private, EA began making cuts to save money - including closing iconic studio BioWare. Find out the details. Also, a recent interview with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma details some new information about what is coming from the company, including a potential large price tag for their next console. All this and more. Let’s go. 

EA shuts down BioWare

After spending $55 billion to become a private company, many analysts expected significant cuts at Electronic Arts (EA). Those changes began last week, as EA reportedly shed 400 jobs from various studios. Most of the staff from Skate’s studio Full Circle were among the cuts, but the biggest news was that EA was closing down BioWare and cancelling their upcoming Mass Effect game. 

BioWare is known for some of the greatest video game series ever, including Mass Effect and Dragon Age. However, in recent years, the studio did not meet expectations. Mass Effect Andromeda released in 2017 to mild reviews and sales, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard did not meet internal expectations. 

Still, there was a great deal of excitement for Mass Effect 5, which was in development. After the announcement that BioWare would be closed, developers leaked a trailer for the now-defunct game. The game reportedly would have let players generate alternate timelines based on their choices in previous games.

An online petition to save Mass Effect 5 has over 200,000 signatures, and a Canadian politician says BioWare developers should be given government funding to buy the studio from EA, but neither seem like they will likely change the outcome for the studio. 

EA provided some updates about its plans going forward, and it looks like the company will focus on sports games and shooters. The company is developing an open-world football game and bringing back their boxing series Fight Night. EA also confirmed that two of its studios are working on Star Wars: Battlefront 3, but EA has paused development on a mobile multiplayer Sims game to work on a Sims 4 sequel.

An expensive upgrade for Xbox

In an interview with Fortune, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said that the next Xbox console is anticipated to launch for the 2028 holiday season, and is expected to cost consumers between $1,200 and $1,800. The price could be lower if Microsoft decides to subsidize the cost. The significantly higher cost for the console is due to the worldwide component shortage caused by AI. 

The article also highlights an internal debate at Microsoft on what software new consoles will use. “Windows leaders wanted an upcoming handheld device to use a trimmed-down version of Windows Home,” states Fortune. “Sharma’s team, meanwhile, has sought to build and control its own software to get the best gaming performance.” It appears the Xbox team won that battle, and is “largely controlling the direction of the operating system for the project.”

Some other notes from Xbox:

• Xbox may be making changes to Game Pass starting next year. The revisions would make the service more à la carte, with users choosing what aspects of the service they want. 
• As part of the changes to Game Pass, Xbox is allowing anyone to use its cloud streaming service to play games they own on the go. The introductory price for Cloud Playtime ranges from $4 for 10 hours to $12 for 50 hours.
• Microsoft is sending emails to individuals who haven’t used their Xbox in a while, encouraging them to trade in their hardware. 
• A senior manager at Xbox took to Twitter, stating that hundreds of workers at Xbox are using AI. “I’m happy to take the hit if it means hundreds at Xbox can stop pretending that they’re not using AI,” said Brandon Stirrup.
• Microsoft reportedly wanted to charge Netflix $800 million to create shows and movies based on Xbox characters but the deal fell through.

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Side Quests (more stories worth reading)

⛔️ A new report says that Arkane Studio, makers of Dishonored and other games, has until November 13 to find a buyer or it will be closed.

🚀 A new edition of the Battlestar Galactica board game will be released next year. 

📊 Marvel’s Wolverine debuted as the top selling video game of September. 

🚓 Rockstar’s marketing department is turning Miami into Grand Theft Auto 6’s Vice City.

🕹️ Atari is ending support for its VCS console that released in 2021.

🤖 Developers of the game Moonlighter will not host a public playtest of its next game due to fears of having their game cloned using AI. 

➡️ A new open source project lets Steam Deck users play Xbox Game Pass games on their devices. 

😈 A Diablo-based board game is in the works and will be released in 2027. 

😢 Liquid Swords, maker of the game Samson, closed the studio and filed for bankruptcy. 

💔 Modern Warfare 4 pays tribute to Call of Duty Co-Creator Vince Zampella, who passed away last year. 

😕 After 18 years, Beyond Good & Evil 2 is reportedly still in pre-production.

New Releases this week:

Check out our article on 10 New Games to Play in October. 

10/27: Emberville (PC)
10/27: Remothered: Red Nun's Legacy (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)
10/29: ANOMALITH (PlayStation, Switch and PC)
10/29: Phantom Blade Zero (PlayStation and PC)
10/29: The Wolf Among Us Remastered (PlayStation, Xbox and PC)

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