In the wake of EA’s tragic shuttering of BioWare last week, a leader of one of Canada’s New Democratic Party has spoken out about the perils of private equity, and said BioWare employees should be able to buy the studio with “federal support”.
Avi Lewis, head of Canada’s NDP, took to Bluesky to decry the news of BioWare’s closure. He wrote: “This is private equity, this is what it does. Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit.”
He then moves on to the idea of a studio buyback, writing: “The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity – and the federal support – to buy it and run it themselves.”
The combined statement against private equity and for the BioWare employees is no coincidence. EA was recently acquired through a record-breaking leveraged buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Παιχνίδια Group as well as US president Donald Trump’s Son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm. Months later, not only did BioWare close, but 400 employees lost their jobs across a variety of studios including Respawn, Maxis, Full Circle, and more.
We’re seeing a growing number of politicians speak on the video game industry issues in recent years. In September, a Mexican lawmaker pushed for better consumer rights for digital goods in the wake of Sony’s push away from discs. Late last year, a similar situation occurred, where Concord’s swift shutdown was brought up in British parliament, in a discussion on consumer rights protections, as was Rockstar’s ongoing tribunal involving fired workers. This is perhaps not surprising, as a new generation of more digitally aware politicians come into positions of influence and the need to appeal to younger voters invested in the video games industry becomes more necessary.
Lewis was far from the only person to share their thoughts on BioWare’s closure. Many across the games industry shared their sadness ,frustration, and support last week. This included key figures from Larian, CD Projekt Red, and even Warren Spector.
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Mass Effect 5
A petition created to save BioWare’s well-loved sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect, has topped 187,000 signatures.
We said a sad farewell to BioWare earlier this week. Job cuts, coming just months after Saudi Arabia’s $55bn leveraged buyout of the company, were anticipated by experts, but drew widespread condemnation and messages of sympathy from across the industry.
Joe Smith, credited with starting the petition, isn’t necessarily asking EA to change its mind about BioWare; instead, the petition calls for “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,” the Change.Org page reads.
“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.”
The petition adds: “Fans around the globe have invested thousands of hours exploring the galaxy, forming deep connections with its multifaceted characters and compelling storylines. It is a franchise that has transcended the typical gamer experience, creating a community that advocates for choice, individuality, and shared adventure. The potential cessation of new developments in this universe is a devastating prospect not only for fans but for the diversity of narrative-driven games as a whole.”
Yesterday, we reported that a content creator claiming to have served on a BioWare community council shared alleged details about the cancelled next Mass Effect game, titled Mass Effect Universe.
In a lengthy Twitter/X post, the YouTuber claimed he’d had access through his role on the “Mass Effect Council”, had seen firsthand what BioWare was developing, and had provided feedback during development.
This follows the appearance of an internal trailer for Mass Effect Universe, which BioWare later confirmed was real after the company’s closure and the game’s cancellation.
EA’s widespread job cuts also hit developers at Respawn, Maxis, Full Circle, EA Motive, and other EA-owned studios.
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