Warren Spector, the veteran designer behind Deus Ex, System Shock and Thief, has publicly condemned Electronic Arts’ decision to close BioWare in language far blunter than the measured statements that typically follow a studio shutdown. His verdict, posted to LinkedIn, was direct: “It’s utter bullshit.”
The statement came within hours of EA confirming it was shuttering the studio that created Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The closure, part of a broader restructuring that affects approximately 400 jobs across the publisher, also cancelled the next Mass Effect game that had been in early development.
Spector’s Full Statement
Spector’s post followed a clear arc, beginning with praise for BioWare’s legacy before escalating to anger at the decision-makers. He opened by acknowledging the studio’s place in gaming history.
“BioWare is more than just another studio,” he wrote. “For decades, it’s played a central role in the history of our medium. They, for many years, as effectively as any studio married art and commerce. Their work changed things.”
Key quote: “Why is it always the do-ers and makers who pay the price? Someone explain that to me!”
Then the tone shifted. Spector named the human cost directly, writing that “400 people at BioWare are gone, out in the cold with so many others.” He followed with what became the most widely circulated line from his post: “This is such bad news, such a devastating historic event, all I can say is that it’s utter bullshit. Anyone who participated in this travesty should be ashamed.”
Calling for Executive Consequences
Spector did not stop at general condemnation. He argued that the executives behind the decision should face consequences themselves.
“Actually, maybe all of the people who participated — the folks in suits (real or virtual) — should lose their damn jobs,” he wrote. “I ask them to ponder this: What do you contribute to gaming? What price do you pay for failure? I’d love to see THEM on the unemployment line instead of the people who do real work.”
That final question — why the people who build games always pay the price when decisions go wrong — became the emotional core of his statement and the line most widely shared across the industry.
Spector’s Own History with EA
In a follow-up comment, Spector drew on his own experience working within the EA ecosystem. He explained that he has “had studios close under me, resulting in hundreds of people losing their jobs” over his decades in the industry.
“I had nothing to do with those business decisions, but I take responsibility for the creative and development ones that contributed.”
He then referenced a specific chapter of his career. “Perhaps most relevant, I was at Origin when EA acquired us. For a year or two, we maintained creative control but with bigger budgets. Turns out they’d given us enough rope to hang ourselves. I left before the last gasping breath, but there were EA-driven things going on that drove me out of Origin. Things that were unsavory (NOT illegal, to be crystal clear) and about which I will never speak.”
That personal history lent weight to his criticism. Spector has seen firsthand how corporate acquisitions can reshape — and ultimately dismantle — studios with strong creative cultures.
Industry Reaction
Spector’s comments were among the most forceful in a wave of industry reactions to the BioWare closure. Eurogamer’s roundup captured statements from numerous developers expressing grief and anger, though few matched Spector’s directness in assigning blame.
The closure of BioWare, a studio that helped define the role-playing genre for over three decades, has resonated across the industry as more than just another corporate restructuring. For many developers, it represents the latest in a pattern of legendary studios being acquired, stripped of independence, and eventually shut down when financial targets aren’t met.
Spector’s statement gave voice to that frustration, framing the closure not as a business decision to be debated on spreadsheets, but as a cultural loss with human consequences.
