游戏业艰难一周：EA关停BioWare，Xbox与育碧裁员关工作室，世嘉下架《全面战争：幕府将军2 完全版》

It’s been a bruising few weeks for the games industry. One of the most loved RPG studios of all time is closing its doors, Xbox is lining up yet more job cuts, and Ubisoft is shutting another studio. It’s not all doom, though – Remedy has just had the best launch in its history. Here’s what you need to know.

EA shuts down BioWare and cancels the next Mass Effect

The biggest story of the week: on 21 October, EA confirmed it is closing BioWare, the studio behind Baldur’s Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The next Mass Effect – first teased back in 2020 and in early development with a small core team – has been cancelled along with it.

The closure is part of around 400 job cuts across EA, reported by Bloomberg. In a letter to staff, EA said that saying no to some projects lets it “focus our teams and resources so we give our biggest opportunities everything they need to succeed.” BioWare’s own farewell was simpler: “What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember.”

It comes just a couple of months after EA’s takeover by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, alongside Silver Lake and Affinity Partners, was completed. Dragon Age: The Veilguard reportedly fell well short of EA’s expectations, and Anthem’s servers were switched off earlier this year – but for a studio that defined the western RPG for three decades, it’s a sad way to go.

Our take: BioWare’s best games shaped a generation of players (and plenty of us still argue about the Mass Effect 3 ending). The IP stays with EA, so Commander Shepard’s story isn’t necessarily over – but it won’t be the people who made it who tell the next chapter.

Xbox prepares three more rounds of layoffs

Over at Microsoft, the cuts aren’t finished. According to a Fortune profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, Xbox has cut 1,868 jobs so far out of 3,200 planned, with further rounds expected this month, in November and in January. Microsoft hasn’t publicly confirmed the timing.

The report also says some current and former staff believe Xbox is being prepared for a sale, spin-off or outside investment – something Microsoft has denied. With Halo now overseen by Activision and Obsidian moved under Bethesda, the shape of Xbox’s first-party studios is changing fast, and a Game Pass shake-up is expected too.

Ubisoft closes Trials studio RedLynx

Ubisoft is closing RedLynx, the Finnish developer behind the Trials series, with 52 jobs affected pending local consultation. A further 70 roles are being cut at Ubisoft Singapore. Ubisoft said it “deeply value[s] the contributions of both teams,” while explaining the Singapore cuts as aligning the studio “with upcoming production needs.”

Sega pulls Shogun 2 Complete Edition after AI backlash

Just two days after launch, Sega and Creative Assembly pulled Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from sale. Players had flagged performance problems, old bugs that were never fixed and artwork that appeared to be AI-upscaled, pushing its Steam rating to “Overwhelmingly Negative”. Sega admitted the release “fell short” and has restored the original 2011 game while it investigates. Existing owners can keep playing.

It’s a clear sign that players are paying close attention to how AI is used in games – and that publishers will be held to account when it’s done badly.

The good news: Control Resonant is Remedy’s fastest-selling game ever

To end on a high, Remedy has announced that Control Resonant sold over a million copies in three weeks, making it “the fastest-selling game in Remedy Entertainment’s 31-year history.” In a packed autumn release schedule, that’s a big win for a mid-sized studio and proof that original, ambitious single-player games still have a big audience.

Quick hits

• Nintendo says it has no plans to drop physical games for now.
• Helldivers 2 is switching from GameGuard to Easy Anti-Cheat to tackle cheat mods – some cosmetic mods may need updating.
• GTA 6 on PC could arrive in Q1 2027, according to unconfirmed reports. Treat this one as a rumour for now.

What it all means

Closures and layoffs on this scale hit real people first – hundreds of developers are looking for work this autumn, and if you’re one of them, we’re sorry. For players, the pattern is clear: big publishers are cutting back to fewer, “safer” projects, while studios like Remedy show there’s still room for bold, original games. Expect more news on Xbox’s plans in the coming weeks, and we’ll keep you posted.

What do you make of BioWare’s closure? Let us know in the comments or over on TikTok and YouTube.

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