Save Mass Effect petition passes 210,000 signatures after EA's BioWare shutdown plan

A Change.org petition to keep Mass Effect alive has passed 210,000 signatures, according to 80 Level. The petition was started by Joe Smith right after EA announced last week that it plans to shut down BioWare, the studio behind Dragon Age and Mass Effect, permanently. It gathered 100,000 signatures in its first three days and is still open.

The petition asks EA to license the Mass Effect IP to another studio if EA itself does not intend to continue the series. Smith argues that an end to new Mass Effect games would be a loss for narrative-driven games more broadly. The petition is a fan campaign, and the source does not report any response from EA to it.

Jennifer Hale, who voices female Commander Shepard, spoke on Instagram Live with Mark Meer, who also voices Shepard. Hale said BioWare had been in the hands of owners who may not have understood what the studio is, and hoped someone could pick up the IPs. Both actors then publicly backed the #SaveMassEffect initiative and encouraged people to sign.

BioWare cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal also commented. He said the fifth Mass Effect game was meant to offer a level of autonomy and choice no other game has matched, and that the team was making something special. The game was first announced at the 2020 Game Awards, so the shutdown puts a long-running body of work-in-progress in doubt.

There were earlier signs of trouble. 80 Level notes that in 2025, after more than four years of development, Executive Producer Michael Gamble said the game was still in pre-production. The report relies on the petition, social posts and BioWare staff comments rather than a detailed EA statement, so what happens to the IP remains unconfirmed.