"It just seemed arbitrary, and not very smart": EA was never a responsible owner for Bioware, but the developer never seemed to learn from their mistakes

Electronic Arts (EA) has closed veteran RPG developer Bioware after 19 years, marking the end of beloved series like Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The relationship between EA and Bioware was reportedly fraught, with former developers citing that EA immediately altered the studio's atmosphere and never seemed to grasp the nature or purpose of their acquisition. Concurrently, Bioware itself is noted for consistently repeating development mistakes across projects, often progressing years into production before defining their game's direction. While this sometimes resulted in exceptional titles, it also led to expensive failures such as Anthem, highlighting a pattern of internal challenges alongside external pressures. This closure signifies a major shift in the gaming industry, impacting the future of prominent RPG franchises.