1 articlesIt seems that bitter days are yet to come for BioWare as EA, its parent company, may let go of the studio after a continual decline. A few weeks ago, EA has announced a $55 billion deal with Affinity Partners, Saudi’s Public Investment Fund, and Silver Lake.
Since it’s a leveraged buyout, EA will have to settle a $20 billion debt, and the quickest way to achieve that is to sell off some of its studios.
A report by Polygon stated that analysts believe BioWare might just be a prime candidate for a sellout due to how poorly the studio performed over the last decade. Its most recent game, Dragon Age: Veilguard, failed to meet EA’s financial expectations.
It also resulted in massive layoffs of around 50 employees, most notable of which is the lead writer and narrative designer Trick Weekes, among others.
The Possibility of a Sellout Between BioWare and Other Studios
While a smaller “veteran team” at BioWare is currently working on a new Mass Effect game, how well it performs upon release might just decide the future of the studio.
However, a bunch of analysts speculate that BioWare might be the first studio to go after the deal is completed. Their most recent release, Dragon Age: Veilguard, has undergone a messy development cycle with multiple pivots throughout the course of its development.
One notable example is when the title was changed from Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
And when the game was released, it fell 50% short of EA’s expectations with regard to internal player count. Add to that the fact that BioWare is known for highlighting characters from the LGBTQ+ community.
Alinea head Rhys Elliot pointed out that BioWare might just be a liability for EA once it falls under new ownership.
As of now, EA is focusing its marketing efforts on Battlefield 6. While DICE, the developers behind the game, is safe from a sellout as of now, things might change if it fails to meet expectations.
Concerns were also surfacing in The Sims community regarding the possibility of a studio sellout. However, DFC Intelligence founder David Cole stated that it’s less likely for Maxis to get sold. And if it does get sold, it will only happen if a premium offer is made.
Since The Sims is one of EA’s top earners, it has to involve some serious cash for a sellout to even happen.
As of 2024, around 85 million people are playing The Sims 4. This number is a massive step up from 70 million the previous year. However, how EA can maintain such numbers after the acquisition is a matter that remains to be seen.
It’s worth noting that the deal won’t be closed until EA’s fiscal 2027 year. Until then, we can expect several studio sellouts and massive layoffs, with BioWare potentially one of them.
