Fans are still in dire straights following EA’s sudden closure of beloved studio BioWare, thus nipping work on the next Mass Effect title in the bud. BioWare had taken almost a decade to release its next entry in the space opera sim saga. We also recently got to see a leaked in-house trailer for the game, which had the working title Mass Effect Universe. But, all this love for Shepard and company that bubbled up after the news has found a new outlet. Namely, a campaign calling for fans to #SaveMassEffect, which has taken over a massive LED billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
The fan page We Are Mass Effect along with YouTuber Kala Elizabeth got the billboard up in Times Square, just above the Pelé store on 1560 Broadway. The slogan, “Keelah Si’yah #SaveMassEffect,” plays for 15 seconds every hour on the :35 mark. This is, of course, the Khelish phrase meaning “by the homeworld I hope to find one day.”
How exactly are we supposed to save Mass Effect? Well, by signing a petition, of course! As of this writing, over 230,000 people have signed the Change.org petition which beseeches Electronic Arts to commit to making more Mass Effect games.
From the statement on the petition:
[W]e are urgently petitioning EA to take decisive action by committing to the continued development of Mass Effect. This commitment requires proper funding, adequate staffing, and time allocation to maintain and advance the high standards the franchise is known for. Alternatively, EA could consider licensing the Mass Effect intellectual property (IP) to another studio that shares the passion and vision to keep it alive and allow it to flourish anew.
While this is certainly a noble goal, and it doesn’t hurt to sign, EA doesn’t have a ton of incentive to license out their IP when they could just make it in house and do whatever they want with it. Like, nothing for instance. Still, my own cynicism aside, it would be foolish of EA to deny the lasting impact of Mass Effect on generations of gamers the world over. Signing the petition guarantees nothing, but it certainly could “keep the spirit of exploration alive.”