Legendary video game studio BioWare closed after 31 years

BioWare, the video game studio behind sci-fi epic Mass Effect and fantasy saga Dragon Age, has been closed down. The Canadian developer specialising in role-playing games was founded in 1995 and found millions of fans with its complex, branching narratives. Its last two releases, however, did not meet sales expectations, and parent company Electronic Arts (EA) announced it had decided to close the studio as it cut 400 jobs across the business. In its own statement, BioWare, which was working on a new Mass Effect game, thanked players for being the most important part of the story during its 31-year history. The developer's first big taste of success came in 1998 when it released role-playing game Baldur's Gate, based on Dungeons and Dragons rules.