Hasan Piker did not hold back when Electronic Arts announced it was closing BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect game. The Twitch streamer and political commentator, known online as HasanAbi, posted a short and heavy reaction to the news on October 21, 2026. His words captured what a lot of longtime fans were feeling. The studio that made some of the most loved role-playing games in history was gone.
What Hasan Piker Said
Piker reacted directly to BioWare’s farewell post on social media. His response was brief and personal.
“This was my childhood. It’s now gone.” — Hasan Piker
The line landed because it was not a hot take or a political point. It was a gamer talking about a studio that shaped his early years. Piker has built a massive audience on Twitch, with around 2.6 million followers as of October 2026, and games like Mass Effect were part of the culture he grew up in.
BioWare’s Farewell Message
BioWare shared its closure statement on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The post listed the studio’s biggest titles and confirmed that the next Mass Effect project was ending.
“For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life. Baldur’s Gate. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dragon Age. Mass Effect. Anthem. Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.” — BioWare statement
The studio also thanked players for being part of its story. BioWare was founded in 1995 by Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk in Edmonton, Canada. EA acquired the studio in 2007.
The Mass Effect Game That Will Never Arrive
The next Mass Effect game was first teased at The Game Awards in December 2020. In 2022, BioWare hired Mary DeMarle, the writer behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as senior narrative director.
BioWare had been working only on Mass Effect since early 2025, after Dragon Age: The Veilguard underperformed. The game had been described as a sequel set hundreds of years after Mass Effect 3, returning to the Milky Way setting. Fans waited nearly six years. The project is now cancelled.
The Layoffs Behind the Closure
EA is cutting around 400 jobs as part of the restructuring, about 3% of its total workforce. Roughly 50 of those roles are at BioWare. The rest of the cuts fall across other EA teams.
EA Chief Operating Officer David Tinson and Chief Studios Officer Cam Weber explained the decision in an internal memo.
“Over the past several months, we’ve taken a hard look at our business, how we operate, and what it will take to lead in this next era of interactive entertainment.” — David Tinson and Cam Weber, EA memo
EA said it will help affected employees look for other roles inside the company. The publisher is shifting resources toward Battlefield, Apex Legends, EA Sports FC, and its Star Wars Jedi and Iron Man games.
The $55 Billion Buyout That Changed Everything
The closure came just two months after EA completed a $55 billion buyout. The deal was led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, an investment firm run by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of Donald Trump. The sale closed on August 4, 2026.
The leveraged buyout left EA with around $18 billion in debt and roughly $1.8 billion a year in interest payments. EA told debt investors it would cut $700 million in annual costs. BioWare became the first major studio to fall under that pressure.
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Fans and Developers React
Reaction across social media was raw. Kotaku reported that the mood was a mix of anger and grief, with fans directing blame at EA and the broader state of the game industry. Some comments called EA “a monster.” Others said the news made Mass Effect feel “dead.”
Piker’s reaction stood out because it was not about corporate strategy or quarterly earnings. It was about a childhood shaped by BioWare games. The sentiment spread across Reddit, X, and gaming forums. Longtime players described the closure as the end of a era for Western role-playing games.
BioWare has not said whether it will sell the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises or hand them to another internal studio. EA has not announced any plans for those series.
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