Leaked Mass Effect: Universe Trailer Surfaces a Day After BioWare Shuts Down
On October 21, 2026, Electronic Arts announced it was shutting down BioWare and canceling the next Mass Effect game. The next day, a roughly two-minute trailer appeared on Reddit, opening with the line "in-engine footage from our small team" using "pre-production assets," and ending with the title Mass Effect: Universe. EA has already said it will not continue development, so this footage is likely the last fans will ever see of the game.
EA announced BioWare's closure on October 21. According to Bloomberg, EA will cut around 400 jobs, about 3% of its total staff, including roughly 50 at BioWare. Deadline, citing Bloomberg, reported EA notified employees by email that it was closing BioWare's Edmonton, Canada studio and canceling the early-development Mass Effect title. BioWare's own social media statement confirmed the closure, noting more than 30 years of service and listing Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, and Anthem among its games. IGN reported EA confirmed the closure but gave no layoff figure.
Engadget reported the trailer was posted from a burner account by a user claiming to be an EA employee. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier confirmed on Bluesky that it is "a real trailer of the Mass Effect game that BioWare was developing up until its closure yesterday." IGN said it has "verified" the trailer is "legitimate." Ars Technica, citing an EA memo, described the project as still in early development. Polygon noted fan confusion that the game was announced five years ago, in 2020, yet still early in development.
The trailer shows a former military officer in an N7 trench coat—similar to the 2020 teaser—frustrated with military life, now in a new line of work "stopping [the fires] before they start" and making choices no one else will. In a bar, an asari woman reveals she has been "starting the fires," then lowers her hood to reveal Liara T'Soni, the iconic Mass Effect character, who teams up with the protagonist in a bar fight using guns and telekinetic abilities. Game Informer described the Liara-and-protagonist bar brawl. The footage also glimpses a sex scene, a Mass Effect relay, space travel, a nightclub, and a galaxy map. Steam Deck HQ's writer said he nearly jumped out of his seat at Liara's reveal. GameSpot called EA's move "unceremoniously" slitting "the throat of the studio that created it."
EA has made clear it will not continue developing the game. GameSpot noted EA's history of refusing to let anyone else make its games, so Mass Effect likely has no successor. The Verge reported Amazon may still be connected to the IP, but the trailer itself is likely the final glimpse. Schreier confirmed the footage is real, but it was not necessarily meant for public release—it reads like an internal pitch piece, much like the recently leaked Iron Man trailer.