EA Shuts Down BioWare, Xbox Valued at Up to $150B and 3 More Layoff Rounds Coming

EA shut down BioWare and a former producer thinks Mass Effect could be sold, while investment funds reportedly valued Xbox at up to $150 billion. Here's everything that happened in games in the last 24 hours. 🚀 BioWare: The closure also cancelled early work on a new Mass Effect, and EA had been bought in August by private investors in a $55 billion deal. Amazon's live-action Mass Effect series is still moving forward, according to IGN sources. ☁️ Xbox Cloud Playtime: Hours start at $0.40 each, with no ads and shorter queues, and a wider rollout is planned for November. You still need to own a compatible game or play a supported free-to-play title. 🚢 Crimson Desert: The expansion was delayed by two weeks and adds underwater exploration riding rays, turtles and orcas. Its price has not been revealed yet. 📉 Xbox layoffs: About 1,600 more cuts would follow more than 1,600 in July and 268 in September, with concern at The Coalition after Gears of War: E-Day undersold. From February 2027, staff near Redmond must also be in the office four days a week. 🏈 Project Gridiron: Insider Gaming says it may be a social hub like NBA 2K's The City rather than a full game, built alongside EA Sports FC 27's The Grounds mode. A reveal could come at The Game Awards or in early 2027. 🌌 Beyond Good & Evil 2: At least 250 people at Ubisoft Montpellier work on it, and it has shifted to a solo-first adventure with optional coop. Its combat reportedly resembles Insomniac's Spider-Man games. 💰 Xbox valuation: The funds never opened talks with Microsoft and set a minimum valuation of $100 billion. Satya Nadella said Xbox needs to earn more, with a margin of only 3 percent. 💿 Resident Evil Requiem: Those discs equal 15 percent of the game's total revenue, which has already passed 8 million copies sold. Sony plans to stop making new discs from 2028 and launched a digital PS5 Black in Japan for $350.