What Happens to Mass Effect in the Wake of BioWare's Closure?
Following EA's decision to shut down BioWare and cancel the next Mass Effect game, a leaked trailer for Mass Effect Universe has surfaced online while questions remain about the franchise's future.
This past Wednesday, we received the painful news that EA decided to shut down BioWare. While the studio's recent years were rough, to say the least, there was one project in development meant to return BioWare to its glory days: the next Mass Effect game. Aside from two teasers that showed almost nothing, we didn't know much about the game, though it was meant to be a grand return for the franchise and had been in development for over five years.
Along with the announcement of BioWare's closure, it was revealed that this Mass Effect game was also canceled. Hours after the painful news broke, a trailer for the game leaked online, revealing its title for the very first time: Mass Effect Universe. As seen in the trailer's opening message, it is an early version, yet it gives us a great glimpse at what the game was supposed to be. Although it is a cinematic trailer that does not show gameplay, it features some combat, moving objects with the power of the mind, plenty of action, and Liara. It also appears the trailer was more or less finished and ready to go, and was expected to be released on the annual Mass Effect celebration, N7 Day, which takes place in two weeks on November 7.
Alongside work on the now-canceled game, EA granted Amazon Prime a license in 2024 to create a television series based on Mass Effect. When the game's cancellation was announced, concerns arose regarding the fate of the show, but sources at Amazon confirmed that it has not been canceled and is moving forward as planned. Right now, we have no information on when we will be able to watch the series, but at least it seems there is still a bit of Mass Effect on the horizon. Now for the big question: what will happen to the franchise from here on out? A senior official at BioWare said it is likely the licenses for Mass Effect and Dragon Age will be sold, though there is also a possibility they will remain with EA like other franchises the company holds. Currently, it is too early to tell what EA will choose to do with these properties as it focuses on cutting costs, but once the company shifts to growing revenue, it might consider selling them or licensing development out to external studios.