Mass Effect petition passes 187,000 signatures after BioWare closure
A fan campaign calling on EA to keep Mass Effect alive has passed 187,000 signatures after BioWare's closure and the cancellation of its next game.
A fan petition calling on EA to keep Mass Effect alive has passed 187,000 signatures, adding a public show of support to an already turbulent moment for BioWare and its science-fiction RPG series.1
The petition was started by Joe Smith and asks EA to commit to continued development of Mass Effect with proper funding, staffing and time. It also suggests licensing the intellectual property to another studio if EA no longer wants to develop it directly.12
What happened
The petition follows reports of BioWare's closure and the cancellation of the next Mass Effect project, known as Mass Effect Universe in coverage of the leaked and later confirmed internal trailer.1 Eurogamer also reports that job cuts affected several other EA-owned teams, including Respawn, Maxis, Full Circle and EA Motive.1
That context explains why the petition has gathered attention so quickly. This is not a campaign announcing a new game, and it does not mean EA has agreed to restart the cancelled project. It is a fan-led request for the publisher to reconsider how the series is handled, whether through continued internal development or an external licensing deal.
The franchise still has an official commercial presence. Mass Effect Legendary Edition remains available on Steam as a remastered collection of the original trilogy and its single-player downloadable content.3 That existing release gives new players a way into the series, but it is not evidence that a new instalment is currently in production.
What the petition can and cannot change
A signature count can demonstrate the size of a community's interest, but it cannot force a publisher to fund a project. EA would still need to decide whether a new game fits its plans, identify a development team and accept the cost and risk of rebuilding a series after BioWare's reported closure.
Licensing could offer another route, but it would bring its own complications. A new studio would need access to the franchise's technology, characters and fiction while earning the confidence of players who are already worried about the series' future. The petition's two options therefore point to a wider question: whether EA sees Mass Effect as an active creative priority or primarily as a valuable back catalogue.
Our opinion
The petition is worth covering because it records a clear audience response to a real business and development story, not because a signature threshold guarantees a revival. Fans are asking EA to preserve the series' identity and give it a serious chance, while the available evidence still points to uncertainty rather than a confirmed return.
For now, the most accurate reading is simple: more than 187,000 people have asked EA to save Mass Effect, but there is no announcement that the publisher has changed course. Until that happens, the petition is a measure of demand and a message to EA — not a development update.