Canadian Politician Wants the Government to Bail Out Mass Effect Developer BioWare
EA announced on October 21 the closure of legendary developer BioWare, marking the end of a studio that operated for over 30 years. The Edmonton-based studio, known for beloved role-playing game franchises including Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire, was shut down as part of a broader corporate restructuring involving EA’s new private equity investors. The closure resulted in approximately 400 job losses, including 50 developers who were working on the next Mass Effect installment.
The news prompted swift response from Canadian politics. Avi Lewis, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, criticized the decision and proposed an alternative solution: the Canadian government should provide financial support to allow BioWare’s employees to purchase and operate the studio themselves. Lewis framed the closure as emblematic of private equity’s destructive business practices, stating that such firms “buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit.”
Lewis argued that “the developers at BioWare know how to run the studio” and that BioWare’s staff “should be given the first opportunity and the federal support” to maintain the studio’s operations. The proposal essentially calls for government intervention to prevent the loss of one of the gaming industry’s most acclaimed development studios.
The shutdown also coincided with the emergence of leaked footage from an unreleased Mass Effect Universe project, adding to disappointment among fans of the franchise.
Sources
- Canadian Politician Wants the Government to Bail Out Mass Effect Developer BioWare
- Plan to Save BioWare and Mass Effect Proposed by Canadian Politician
- BioWare staff “should be given the first opportunity and the federal support” to buy the studio and keep it running, says Canadian political party leader