{"id":50185,"date":"2026-10-22T07:08:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swtorista.com\/articles\/?p=50185"},"modified":"2026-10-22T07:08:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T14:08:01","slug":"bioware-is-shutting-down-what-this-means-for-swtor-and-the-future-of-ea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swtorista.com\/articles\/bioware-is-shutting-down-what-this-means-for-swtor-and-the-future-of-ea\/","title":{"rendered":"BioWare Is Shutting Down: What This Means for SWTOR and the Future of EA"},"content":{"rendered":"

BioWare, the studio behind the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and one of players\u2019 favorite story games which inspired, Knights of the Old Republic, is shutting down after more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

Bioware Shutting Down<\/h2>\n

\"For<\/p>\n

BioWare confirmed on October 21, 2026 that their studio is closing, and they are shutting down development on any future games including the early development of the next Mass Effect. This means Dragon Age: Veilguard will be the last game produced by the studio. (Official BioWare statement<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Even though the studio’s more recent years have been difficult, it\u2019s hard not to feel sad about seeing such a beloved studio disappear – games like Baldur\u2019s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect really helped shape many player\u2019s gaming tastes and were direct pieces of inspiration for Star Wars: The Old Republic. At the moment, EA still retains the IP rights to Dragon Age and Mass Effect, so it seems unlikely any other studios will pick them up unless EA decides to sell them.<\/p>\n

Why Is BioWare Closing?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This news comes just a couple of months after Electronic Arts completed its $55 billion acquisition by a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. EA officially announced the completion of the acquisition on August 4, 2026.<\/p>\n

I previously covered the proposed acquisition in EA Set to Be Bought for $55 Billion: What Does This Mean for the Future of the Company, Its Studios, and Its Games?<\/a>. At the time, there were plenty of questions about what a deal of this size could mean for EA’s studios and the games they make. Now, we are seeing some of the consequences of the company’s new direction.<\/p>\n

According to Bloomberg’s reporting<\/a>, EA plans to cut around 400 jobs across the company, including approximately 50 positions at BioWare. That represents roughly 3% of EA’s workforce. EA says it is concentrating its resources on fewer, larger projects and areas where it sees the greatest opportunities for growth. (EA\u2019s Next Chapter post<\/a>)<\/p>\n

While the decision to shut down Bioware might make perfect sense from a business perspective, it does mean around 400 people are facing uncertainty about their jobs and futures, in a time when many tech related jobs are being outsourced or eliminated completely.<\/p>\n

What Does This Mean for Star Wars: The Old Republic?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The good news for SWTOR players is that Star Wars: The Old Republic is not shutting down because of BioWare’s closure.<\/b><\/p>\n

SWTOR moved from BioWare to Broadsword Online Games in 2023. I covered that transition in It’s Official! Star Wars: The Old Republic Is Moving from BioWare to Broadsword!<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SWTOR is now developed and operated by Broadsword, rather than being a game handled by the BioWare studio that is closing.<\/p>\n

Of course, SWTOR is still part of EA’s wider business, so the company’s decisions can still matter to the game’s future. Any studio, or any game, under EA\u2019s publishing umbrella could technically be shut down at any time, particularly if EA feels the studio or game is not worth the investment they are putting into it, or if they feel their resources could better used on different projects.<\/p>\n

EA has talked about some of their specific projects, including EA Sports, Battlefield, Apex, skate, The Sims, Marvel\u2019s Iron Man and the next Star Wars: Fallen Order game having continued development.<\/p>\n

Other multiplayer games, like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes the mobile game, and Need for Speed No Limits the mobile game were not mentioned. If I had to guess, these games will simply continue running as long as they continue to make money.<\/p>\n

We have barely any details about the exact relationship between EA and Broadsword, but it is likely that EA collects revenue from SWTOR as publisher, then funds Broadsword’s contracted work.<\/p>\n

It is unlikely SWTOR will get expanded funding from EA though to grow the game, as EA also said \u201csaying no to some things we’re passionate about allows us to focus our teams and resources so we give our biggest opportunities everything they need to succeed,\u201d and with SWTOR not on the list of games mentioned in their press release, SWTOR is likely one of those games that has less of an opportunity for a big win compared to the other, larger games.<\/p>\n

There is a very small potential that we might see SWTOR make its way to consoles, as EA stated \u201cThe strength of our core business creates an enormous opportunity to reach more players across new platforms, markets, and business models\u201d – but they might just mean some games like skate already in progress to be ported to mobile. SWTOR on either consoles or even on something like mobile would be a huge boon to the diversity of EA\u2019s projects, as SWTOR covers a very different genre and playerbase than their other big games like EA Sports and the Sims.<\/p>\n

Like most things, we\u2019ll just have to wait and see what happens. With 8.0 on the horizon for SWTOR, my guess is things are looking ok for the game to continue on for a while as-is. Fingers crossed and see you in 8.0 Star Wars: Master of the Force!<\/p>\n

The lead narrative director had this to say:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The lead community manager for SWTOR had this to say:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"God,<\/p>\n

The lead writer for SWTOR had this to say:<\/em><\/p>\n

\"No<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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