In 1995 three Canadian doctors, joined by a love of video games, pooled their money to launch a studio which would provide countless hours of entertainment, joy and magical storytelling to people all over the world.
asserted
which → join → world
Thirty-one years later, on October 22, 2026, that dream died.
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dream → die → October
BioWare, the studio which created Mass Effect, Dragon Age and the first two Baldur's Gate games, released a statement on social media announcing the closure and the cancellation of development of Mass Effect 5, which had loosely been slated for release in 2028.
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which → create → 2028
"There is nothing easy about writing these words," it said.
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it → be → words
"Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition."
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who → put → transition
Fan farewells flowed in.
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farewells → flow → ?
Facebook user Melantha Justice wrote: "I would not be me without Dragon Age.
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I → write → Age
Dragon Age: Originsmeans more to me than anyone could ever know.
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anyone → originsmean → me
I salute you BioWare."
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I → salute → you
On Reddit, users expressed dismay at the closure and the uncertain future of the studio's intellectual property, however some said the writing had been on the wall.
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writing → express → wall
"After Dragon Age: The Veilguard I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner," commenter Matt Pierce wrote.
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Pierce → happen → Age
Some commenters blamed the poor sales performance of recent games and called the closure predictable, many also blamed Electronic Arts (EA), which bought BioWare in 2007.
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which → blame → 2007
From Doctors to Dungeon Masters
Founders Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka, and Augustine Yip, met in medical school at the University of Alberta and in 1995 they started BioWare, releasing their first commercially successful game by 1996.
But the first feather in their cap came in 1998 in the form of Baldur's Gate, which cost an estimated $CAD1 million to make and sold more than 2 million copies on release.
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which → meet → release
Set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, Baldur's Gatelet players create their own characters and have a say in its outcome.
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players → Set → outcome
In 2000 Baldur's Gate 2 was released, matching the first game's success.
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Gate → release → success
It was followed by Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2003, which also received critical acclaim.
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which → follow → acclaim
Founder of Melbourne-based Summerfall Studios game company, David Gaider, was brought on as a writer for Baldur's Gate 2.
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Founder → base → Gate
He said he joined the company at a time it had just 50 employees, including two of the founders, and the game would help BioWare flourish.
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BioWare → say → founders
"Baldur's Gate 2 kinda put BioWare on the map,"Gaider said.
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Gate → put → map,"Gaider
These successes were just a prelude for what came next.
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what → come → ?
The golden era
In 2004 BioWare began work on its first new intellectual properties.
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BioWare → begin → properties
"The bosses were tired of having a third-party IP owner always on the line," Gaider said.
"
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Gaider → tire → line
So we're gonna start our own fantasy IP and sci-fi IP.
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we → go → IP
"
Mass Effect, set in a future Milky Way Galaxy, let players step into the role of Commander Shepard, an interstellar special forces operative on a mission to save the galaxy from obliteration.
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players → set → obliteration
It took a team of 130 people three years of work to deliver the game.
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It → take → game
The game featured multiple-choice, fully-voiced conversations and had more than 20,000 lines of spoken dialogue which, according to lead writer Drew Karpyshyn, was equivalent to 20 movies or four to five novels.
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which → feature → movies
Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 sold millions of copies with the latter widely regarded as one of the best games ever created.
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latter → sell → games
"It kind of just dazzled me," Driscoll said.
"
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Driscoll → dazzle → me
It was my first choose your own adventure kind of game.
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It → choose → game
The games also featured romance, with players being able to pursue a relationship with different companions.
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players → feature → companions
These relationships were a hallmark of BioWare's title and fans remain invested in them to this day, including Driscoll who described Mass Effect character, Thane Krios, as "the love of my life".
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who → remain → life
"There was something kind of revolutionary in the idea that companionship could be found in such an interactive way that could still hit you emotionally even if it isn't real," she said.
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she → be → you
Between the two releases, and a surprise success, was the fantasy Dragon Age: Origins, whose world was created by Gaider.
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world → create → Gaider
"I had no idea what I was doing," he said.
"It was sort of like I was a dungeon master for a DND game run amok."
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I → have → game
With three hits between 2007 and 2010, BioWare was enjoying a golden age and Gaider said there was "a lot of skill and imagination under one roof".
Great expectations
Dragon Age 2 in 2011 didn't receive the same high praise as the first and the highly anticipated Mass Effect 3, while received well by critics, did not meet up to some fans' expectations.
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Effect → enjoy → expectations
On the other hand, Dragon Age: Inquisition launched in 2014 and sold more than 12 million copies, becoming the best-selling BioWare game to date.
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Age → launch → date
Gaider felt Dragon Age was his baby.
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Age → feel → ?
"I created the world.
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I → create → world
There were other writers, but I was the first one with my toe in the water and I was the one who kicked it off," he said.
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he → be → it
Although not all of his ideas were realised over the three-game run, he never begrudged the changes or cuts made.
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he → realise → changes
…and 32 more, not listed.
The Aporia
