Electronic Arts’ shuttering of BioWare might not necessarily be the end of the Mass Effect franchise, according to former studio executive Mark Darrah.
EA announced BioWare was being closed on Oct. 21, leading to the loss of 400 jobs and the cancellation of Mass Effect 5, casting a dark shadow over the franchise’s future.
However, while it does appear bleak for Mass Effect fans, the door isn’t closed on the future altogether, as the IP could be sold off by EA to raise funds.
EA Could Sell Mass Effect License
That’s the view of former BioWare executive Mark Darrah, who said it was now ‘more likely’ they could sell off the Mass Effect and Dragon Age license, though he conceded it’s also possible they could ‘bury them in the vault.’
“Remember BioWare is 100% owned by EA. EA owns all the IPs, they own Dragon Age, they own Mass Effect, they own Jade Empire. That doesn’t change the situation, really, at all,” he said on his YouTube channel, via IGN.
“Now there’s nobody working on a game, or games, within the organization, and chances are there never will be, which might make them more likely to sell off those IPs. But it might also make them more likely to just try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault.
“I think we still are gonna have to wait a little bit before we see if EA has any interest in selling off some of its dormant IPs. Right now, they seem in cost control mode. They might start in a revenue-generation mode where selling IPs might be more desirable.”
The Mass Effect franchise has been quiet since the release of Andromeda in 2017, which fell below expectations, but BioWare revealed in 2020 that work had begun on the next title, reportedly a sequel to the original trilogy.
Meanwhile, the last Dragon Age title was released in 2024, while Jade Empire has not had a sequel to the original title released in 2005.
What do you think of EA’s decision to close the BioWare studio? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For your next read, take a look at the latest real-world GTA 6 ads, and don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.
Comments