EA buys studios and then closes them: a complete list of the publisher's victims

After the closure of BioWare and the cancellation of a new Mass Effect, players once again lashed out at Electronic Arts, accusing the publisher of destroying its own studios and game series.

Over the past decades, EA has become a master of acquiring well-known teams, which, after several years, lose their independence and are closed down. The scenario has been repeating since the late 1980s: the publisher buys talented developers, imposes corporate rules and trendy tendencies on them, and then gets rid of the studio if financial indicators do not meet expectations.

BioWare has joined a long list of teams.

1. Batteries Included – acquired and closed in 1987.
2. Origin Systems – acquired in 1992, closed in 2004.
3. Bullfrog Productions – acquired in 1995, closed in 2001.
4. Maxis – acquired in 1997, closed in 2015. The studio's name is still used by EA.
5. Westwood Studios / EA Pacific – acquired in 1998, closed in 2003.
6. Kesmai – acquired in 1999, closed in 2001.
7. DreamWorks Interactive / Danger Close Games – acquired in 2000, closed in 2013.
8. Black Box Games – acquired in 2002, closed in 2013.
9. NuFX / EA Chicago – acquired in 2004, closed in 2007.
10. Hypnotix – acquired and closed in 2005, employees transferred to EA Tiburon.
11. Mythic Entertainment – acquired in 2006, closed in 2014.
12. Phenomic Game Development – acquired in 2006, closed in 2013.
13. Headgate Studios / EA Salt Lake – acquired in 2006, closed in 2017.
14. Pandemic Studios – acquired in 2007, closed in 2009.
15. BioWare – acquired in 2007, closed in 2026.
16. J2MSoft – acquired in 2008, integrated into EA Korea.
17. Playfish – acquired in 2009, closed in 2013.
18. Chillingo – acquired in 2010, closure began in 2017 and completed in 2023.
19. Industrial Toys – acquired in 2018, closed in 2023.
20. BioWare – acquired in 2007, closed in 2026.

A change of ownership also does not inspire optimism: after transitioning to private investors, the company may focus on cost reduction and debt repayment, rather than on preserving teams and beloved game franchises.