Ask any video game fan — such as this writer — about some of their favorite titles, and many will almost invariably include one from longtime studio BioWare.
From critically acclaimed licensed products such as the “Knight of the Old Republic” Star Wars games, to cult classics like “Jade Empire,” to modern AAA blockbusters like the “Mass Effect” games, BioWare has been a major part of many video game enthusiasts’ life over the years.
And now the ride is over.
On Wednesday, the once-venerable studio announced that it was closing its doors after over 30 years in the industry.
https://t.co/TicSujMWps
— BioWare (@bioware) October 21, 2026
“Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending,” the company posted to social media platform X.
BioWare continued, “There is nothing easy about writing those 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.”
Look, I am loathe to ever celebrate people losing their jobs. And I still won’t here in this space.
But there are more than a few critics who may just question how “incredibly talented” BioWare’s team was when the company shuttered.
For as long and as impressive as BioWare’s track record was, recent titles have been far more divisive among the fan base, and for good reason.
BioWare games began shoehorning in a number of modern social justice issues — even in fantasy worlds.
BioWare, a once-major game studio, has shut down.
The last game they released was a disaster filled with LGBTQ propaganda and woke pronouns.
FAFO
https://t.co/pUn7K69htl
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) October 22, 2026
The comments under the Libs of TikTok post are brutal — and, for that matter, so, too, are the comments under BioWare’s farewell post.
Look, reasonable people can disagree on whether or not it’s good to see an entire studio close because of pervasive cultural politics.
But wherever one stands on “woke” content, I actually do implore you to watch the above video. Left or right, we should all be able to agree that that’s just bad, sophomoric writing.
Do you think the decline of BioWare was linked to their wokeness?
Yes, it’s a major factor
100% (1 vote)
No, it’s unrelated
0% (0 votes)
It’s the sort of stuff you would expect out of a first-year film student — not a multimillion-dollar video game studio.
Perhaps the most concrete — and arguably damning — indictment of BioWare actually came from legendary game developer and writer Chris Avellone, whose work on 2010’s “Fallout: New Vegas” is still praised to this day.
Avellone took to X to call out just how pervasive these “woke” politics had gotten inside of BioWare.
@Iliekturtles12 @Joebno_Gaming I guess I can say it now – so when applicants would apply to the studio, the producer would go through their LinkedIn to see what posts they liked, and if he disagreed with their political/social Like, he’d advocate not to hire them based on their Like.
— Chris Avellone (@ChrisAvellone) October 21, 2026
Avellone claimed that “when applicants would apply to the studio, the producer would go through their LinkedIn to see what posts they liked, and if he disagreed with their political/social Like, he’d advocate not to hire them based on their Like.”
While Avellone noted that, yes, sometimes you do have to screen poor fit or unskilled applicants, he claimed this went well beyond that and was very much about differing political viewpoints.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
