Electronic Arts said it is shuttering its BioWare business and cutting back on some other projects, as the newly private company faces tougher competition.
The video-game developer said Wednesday it would close the studio and Edmonton, Alberta, workspace for the Canadian developer that makes role-playing games such as "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age."
The announcement came alongside a string of other updates about EA's portfolio strategy, after the company went private in a $55 billion deal in August. EA said the changes were an effort to navigate rising competition and changing customer needs.
"Players have more choices than ever for their time and attention, competition is intensifying, and some of our biggest opportunities for growth are beyond the markets, platforms, and business models where EA has traditionally been the strongest," the company said.
The closure is part of a general streamlining effort within EA's action-adventure portfolio, which included BioWare. The company wants to have fewer large-scale projects under development at the same time.
EA is also trimming some of its work within its lifestyle portfolio, focusing on "The Sims" and "skate." It is pausing development on one internal development project for "The Sims" and creating a smaller studio team for "skate."
Instead, EA plans to start investing more in its core products, including shooter and sports games. The goal is to reach more players with these core games in regions such as Asia, where EA has a smaller presence.
Among those focus areas are shooter games such as "Battlefield" and "Apex." EA plans to launch future versions of "Battlefield" and introduce new gameplay modes for "Apex." The company is also "fully committed" to investing in its sports portfolio, with two new projects in development.
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