Fans hoping EA might sell the Mass Effect franchise to another studio after cancelling the next game and closing BioWare have been told not to expect it. Romain Toutain, the franchise's former technical director, said during a Twitch livestream that EA simply does not sell properties.
Developer explains EA's stance
Toutain was reacting to a leaked trailer for a project called Mass Effect Universe, which was later confirmed as legitimate and created for the cancelled game. Clips from his stream, translated from French into English, were posted on Bluesky. In one clip, he answered a viewer's question about why EA did not consider selling BioWare and Mass Effect Universe.
'EA never actually sells anything. They just shut things down and sit on the licences,' Toutain said.
The stream is no longer available to watch, though it is unclear whether Toutain removed it himself or EA forced him to. Clips remain on social media.
History of closures and licence retention
EA has a long record of buying and closing studios while keeping hold of franchises it no longer develops, such as Command & Conquer, Need For Speed, and Medal Of Honor. The company is giving back the rights to the Ultima franchise to creator Richard Garriott, but only because it is legally required to do so.
Toutain also revealed that the next game would have included a mechanic letting players generate different timelines based on their actions, allowing it to account for Mass Effect 3's different endings without contradicting any of them.
Petition and future prospects
A fan petition urging EA to resume development or licence Mass Effect to another studio has gathered 220,416 signatures at the time of writing. EA still holds a deal with Amazon to produce a Mass Effect TV show, which could offer the franchise a path back if it becomes a hit on the scale of Fallout.
EA's financial position is strained, with the company carrying $18 billion in debt following its leveraged buyout, a factor believed to have contributed to BioWare's closure. EA has plans for a third Star Wars Jedi game, an Iron Man game, and, according to rumours, a new Star Wars: Battlefront, though it remains uncertain whether any will be released.
