Mass Effect 5 Writers Break Silence After BioWare Shutdown

How would you feel if you found out a game you were incredibly hyped for was cancelled—and the studio behind it shut down? That's exactly what Mass Effect fans are grappling with right now. EA announced the closure of BioWare, the legendary studio with over 30 years of history, in a single paragraph tucked inside a lengthy open letter on October 21, 2026. The news hit hard, and now the writers who were working on the next Mass Effect are speaking out.

In the letter, EA explained that a small team at BioWare had been in early development on Mass Effect, but the company decided not to move forward. "BioWare is a legendary studio that helped define the role-playing genre, and we do not take this decision lightly," the statement read. Gamers were gutted—and so were the staff. Several writers who worked on the project have now taken to social media to share their feelings.

New York Times bestselling author Catherynne M. Valente responded to a post claiming the industry was broken because it couldn't figure out how to make a sequel to "the literal best game of all time." Her reply? "We did figure it out. We were working on a great game. Just saying." She also clarified that she hadn't contributed to Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Mass Effect: Andromeda, or Anthem, pushing back on the idea that she was "the personification of BioWare."

Award-winning sci-fi writer Derek Künsken also shared a lengthy thread about his time on Mass Effect 5. He said he'd been contributing "on and off" over the last five years, and only now feels able to speak since the studio no longer exists. "Over the coming weeks, I'll get more clarity on what I can say about what I did and saw and learned. I hope it's more than nothing—what we were cooking was really cool," he said. He also revealed he worked with Valente on pitching "story, character, lore, and sci-fi wonder for this next chapter of the Mass Effect world," calling it "the most energizing, in-the-zone collaboration I've ever had."

For now, fans are left wondering what could have been. Many are holding out hope that EA might sell BioWare's IPs to another studio rather than let them languish. Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah expressed some caution about that idea, though he theorized it's a bit more likely now given EA's massive debt from its $55 billion acquisition by a private investment group earlier this year. At least there's some good news: the Prime Video series is still in active development, according to an exclusive statement to IGN.

So, what do you think? Will you be holding out hope for a Mass Effect revival, or are you just glad the writers are finally getting to share their side? Let us know in the comments!