EA is home to some of gaming’s biggest RPG franchises, including Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. So, with EA shutting down BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect, fans are understandably wondering what happens to these iconic IPs. Former BioWare executive Mark Darrah, however, has offered a possible way forward with one big concern.
In his latest YouTube video on Mark Darrah on Games, he suggests EA could sell off Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and other IPs affected by BioWare’s closure. “Remember BioWare is 100% owned by EA. EA owns all the IPs; they own Dragon Age, they own Mass Effect, they own Jade Empire. That doesn’t change the situation, really, at all,” said Darrah.
Now there’s nobody working on a game, or games, within the organization, and chances are there never will be, which might make them more likely to sell off those IPs.
However, Darrah thinks EA may forget these legendary IPs exist, and instead of selling Mass Effect or Dragon Age, the company would “bury them in the vault.”
“I think we still are gonna have to wait a little bit before we see if EA has any interest in selling off some of its dormant IPs. Right now, they seem in cost control mode. They might start in a revenue-generation mode where selling IPs might be more desirable,” concluded Darrah.
EA is indeed in cost-control mode as it focuses on multiple launches, including Motive Studio’s Marvel’s Iron Man and Star Wars Jedi 3, reportedly targeting a 2027 release with Respawn leading development. Reports also suggest EA is working on Star Wars Battlefront 3 with DICE and Respawn, so “cost control mode” is right.
BioWare’s last Mass Effect game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, launched in 2017, while Dragon Age: The Veilguard followed in 2024. Both received mixed reactions from fans and critics, but that hardly justifies BioWare’s unfortunate closure.
That said, do you think EA will sell off the Mass Effect and Dragon Age IPs in the future? Tell us in the comments section below.
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