Composer Austin Wintory has released close to 20 minutes of music he wrote while in talks to score the next Mass Effect game, days after Electronic Arts (EA) shut down BioWare.
Wintory, known for his work on Journey, Abzu and Assassin's Creed Syndicate, shared the music on X (formerly Twitter) on October 26th. "Mass Effect was my ultimate white whale, my all-time dream project," he wrote. He said he had spent the last couple of years "in discussion w/ BioWare & EA" about taking on the project, and wrote the music "to explore where the franchise can go next."
A love letter to the original score
The full piece runs about 22 minutes on YouTube under the title "My Mass Effect 5 Early Musical Drafts." In the video's description, Wintory said he decided in 2025 to surprise the team with "an elaborate production," fully recorded with synths, vocals and a large orchestra in Los Angeles. He had not yet learned any story details of what BioWare was planning, so it was "just pure musical exploration."
His pitch was to take the original game's score by Jack Wall and Sam Hulick as a starting point and build on it with "deeper use of physical, analog synths and a more tightly interwoven use of the orchestra." He called the result "a love letter first and foremost," comparing it to his approach on Aliens: Fireteam Elite. The video is split into eight sections, including "The legacy of Shepard," "Sailing the relays" and "Hold the line."
In a follow-up post with the video link, Wintory thanked "my friends at both BioWare and EA," adding: "To even dream in your sandbox was a privilege." On YouTube, he described hearing that EA had cancelled the project and closed BioWare as "a deeply felt loss." "It's been hard to see dear friends lose their jobs, and this beloved franchise seemingly vanish forever," he wrote.
The end of BioWare
BioWare confirmed its closure in a statement on X on October 21st. "Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending," the studio said.
The studio was best known for Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Anthem. In its statement, BioWare said its focus was on "our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition."
