Summary
A BioWare developer has confirmed that the nextMass Effectis still happening, despite recent layoffs at the studio. The long-awaited fifth entry in the sci-fi RPG series has faced a challenging road after BioWare initially revealed it in 2020. Consequently, news of layoffs and staff shuffling at EA worried manyMass Effectfans, although it now seems that the game is still on track despite the disruption.
While some gamers may have hoped for a speedier development timeline after BioWare finished up work onDragon Age: The Veilguard, that hasn’t been the case. A former studio executive explained howthe nextMass Effectisn’t ready for a larger teamyet, as it’s still in its early stages. Not long after, it became clear that even fewer formerDragon Agedevs would be able to work on the title, as EA has moved and laid off some BioWare employees.
In late January 2025,EA transferred some BioWare employees to other studios, with many speculating the move came as a result of a disappointing performance fromDragon Age: The Veilguard. It then became clear that layoffs were part of the restructuring, too, with several former BioWare developers posting on social media that they were looking for new jobs after having to leave the studio. As hectic as it may seem, though, BioWare executive producer Michael Gamble has assured fans on Twitter that his team is still working on the game, so these recent layoffs do not spell the end forMass Effect 5.
BioWare Executive Producer Confirms Mass Effect 5 Is Still in Development
Gamble did not go into detail about the state of the game or the studio but confirmed that the nextMass Effecttitle was in pre-production. That lines up with earlier insight about the game being in its early stages, so it seems that the recent shuffling and layoffs have not impacted the development timeline as far as fans can tell at the moment. Interestingly, this is not the first time something like this has happened to the next entry in the sci-fi series. Reports reassured fans thatwork onMass Effect 5was still happening after layoffs in 2024, and updates on the title have come out since then, so there’s reason to believe that development will persist through this round of layoffs as well.
Only time will tell how the disruption at BioWare will impactMass Effect 5in the long run. Any news of staffing changes can be worrying for fans, especially in the industry’s current climate.Frostpunkdeveloper 11 Bit Studioscanceled an unannounced console gameand laid off employees in late 2024, and a rumoredWarhammerRPG was also recently canceled amid studio layoffs. For now, it seems thatMass Effectis escaping a similar fate, but fans will have to wait for more official information to learn more about when to expect the game.
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The galaxy is trapped in an endless cycle of extinction. Every 50,000 years, an ancient machine race invades with ruthless efficiency, wiping out all advanced organic civilization. They leave behind only the scattered ruins of technology, and they destroy all evidence of their own existence.
Few believe this ancient legend. You, however, know it to be true. The fight to stop this extinction event has become the most important mission in the galaxy.
And it is your mission. As Commander Shepard of the SS Normandy, take your elite recon squad across a galaxy in turmoil in a desperate race to stop the return of an enemy without mercy. To stop this enemy, you must act without remorse, without hesitation, and outside the limits of the law. Your only imperative is to preserve the safety of civilized life in the galaxy—and at any cost. You must become the tip of the spear of humanity, for you alone know the full extent of what is at stake if you fail.
