Fans of the Mass Effect franchise are campaigning to save it after EA closed BioWare, using petitions and adverts, including plans for The Game Awards.
EA's decision to shut down BioWare has left the Mass Effect series in limbo. The company cancelled the next Mass Effect game, known as Mass Effect Universe, last week, which led to an early trailer being leaked online. While it is unclear if another game will ever be released, an Amazon TV adaptation is reportedly still in development.
Petition and Billboard
A group called We Are Mass Effect on X has set up a Change.org petition titled '#SaveMassEffect', which has gathered over 245,000 signatures. The petition's organiser, Joe Smith, wants EA to 'take decisive action by committing to the continued development' of the series. Alternatively, if EA is not interested, they want the company to 'consider licensing the Mass Effect IP to another studio that shares the passion and vision to keep it alive and allow it to flourish anew'.
Organisers have also teamed up with illustrator Kala Elizabeth for a billboard in New York's Times Square. The billboard carries the #SaveMassEffect slogan along with the phrase 'Keelah Si'yah' – the name of one of the colony ships from Mass Effect: Andromeda. The billboard was shown for 15 seconds every hour on Monday, October 26, costing around $150/£112. One of the organisers, Mer Mora, said they have plans for more adverts thanks to community donations.
Plans for More Adverts
Speaking to Eurogamer, Mora said: 'Apart from the Times Square billboard, we also have several other initiatives in the works. An advertising truck near EA's headquarters in Redwood City and in Edmonton, a mobile billboard for N7 Day, and another one in LA for The Game Awards. All of them will carry a message in support of #SaveMassEffect.'
The campaign might also be boosted by the response to other leaked materials from Mass Effect Universe's development. Following the trailer, Journey composer Austin Wintory revealed he was in 'serious conversations' with BioWare and EA to score the game. While he was not officially hired, Wintory has released 22 minutes of music he proposed for the project.
'As part of the ongoing dialogue, I decided last year (2025) to surprise the folks with an elaborate production: nearly 20 minutes of music, fully recorded and produced with synths, vocals, and a large orchestra here in LA,' Wintory wrote on a YouTube video. 'I'd not yet learned any narrative details of what they were planning so this was just pure musical exploration.'
He added: 'Receiving the news alongside everyone else that EA had decided to not only cancel the project but shutdown BioWare entirely was a deeply felt loss. It's been hard to see dear friends lose their jobs, and this beloved franchise seemingly vanish forever. Thank you nonetheless to everyone at BioWare and EA's music department for gifting me the chance to dream in your sandbox. It was a privilege to do even that much.'
Context of the Closure
The closure of BioWare comes months after EA underwent a leveraged buyout for $55 billion (£41 billion) by a group of investors, led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). As a result, EA is now $18 billion in debt and is likely to lay off many more people in the future, beyond just BioWare.
