BioWare, the legendary RPG developer responsible for Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Sonic’s first role-playing adventure, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, is shutting down after more than 30 years.
Electronic Arts confirmed the closure on October 21, 2026, alongside the cancellation of the next Mass Effect game, which was still in early development. The decision brings an end to one of gaming’s most celebrated RPG studios, whose work also included Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
In a farewell message published on its official website, BioWare reflected on its history and thanked the players who had supported its games over the past three decades.
The shutdown is part of a wider restructuring at EA, which Bloomberg reports will see approximately 400 jobs cut across the company, including around 50 at BioWare. EA has also confirmed that it is closing the studio’s Edmonton workspace.
For Sonic fans, BioWare will be remembered for developing Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, released for the Nintendo DS in 2008. The game marked Sonic’s first venture into the RPG genre, swapping his usual platforming adventures for turn-based battles, party-based exploration and a story involving the mysterious Nocturnus Clan.
The project was developed by the Canadian studio under Sonic Team’s supervision, as SEGA’s original Japanese website confirms. It was an unusual collaboration for both companies, bringing BioWare’s experience with story-driven RPGs to a franchise best known for its speed and platforming.
The game also shares an interesting connection with Dragon Age: Origins. As Sonic City previously reported, former BioWare executive Mark Darrah revealed that Sonic Chronicles used a streamlined version of the same dialogue system that would later appear in Dragon Age. Darrah recalled the project fondly, describing the experience of working on the smaller Sonic development team as “magical.”
Although Sonic Chronicles never received a sequel, it remains a distinctive part of the franchise’s history and one of BioWare’s more unexpected projects.
The studio closed its farewell message with a final thank-you to its fans:
From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story.
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