Games industry analysts say BioWare's closure was 'entirely predictable' due to EA's shift in strategy and significant internal restructuring, which involves the cancelation of projects and a reported 400 job losses. Analysts doubt that outside companies will take on BioWare's franchises, citing their high cost and time-consuming nature. Analyst Joost van Dreunen explained that these IPs are 'far too costly' and 'far too time-consuming' for other developers to tackle, comparing them to other studios that have been divested. The future of Mass Effect and other BioWare IPs looks grim, with analysts predicting more layoffs in the months to come. EA's debt load, which costs it about $1.8 billion a year in interest, is a major factor in the studio's restructuring. Analysts consider BioWare's closure an inevitable consequence of EA's current business structure, calling it 'entirely predictable and precisely what a leveraged buyout looks like once the deal closes.'
