In a social media post that has been dubbed tone deaf, Electronic Arts, via the BioWare Gear Store page, has been promoting the sale of Mass Effect merchandise in celebration of N7 Day just weeks after killing the brand. BioWare has ceased to exist after a global shutdown, and the next Mass Effect game has been cancelled, but the team is still trying to hawk their merchandise.
The post on social media was captioned ‘Celebrate the Legacy’, and the nature of the post might have been meant as a representation of what once was, but it wasn’t taken that way by fans.
Save Mass Effect
The #SaveMassEffect petition that surfaced the same day the game was revealed as being cancelled has now generated more than 300,000 signatures. It’s fast closing in on the PlayStation petition that was set up earlier this year to prevent the scrapping of physical discs by Sony.
In a new post on social media, Electronic Arts has leaned on the ‘legacy’ of Mass Effect, a recently cancelled franchise, to push some merchandise:
For those not in the know, N7 Day is November 7, and it’s the fan-backed day when the series is celebrated. It’s a nod to the N7 rank insignia worn by Commander Shepard, the protagonist of the original trilogy.
In the comments under the post, some fans criticized Electronic Arts. One user wrote, ‘I literally can’t even begin to describe the tone deafness of this tbh.’ Another said, ‘Canceling the game but still trying to sell merch—what a bunch of jerks.’
Yeah no. EA isn’t getting a penny from me, you don’t get to cancel the game and still reap the benefits of our love for it.
Many stated that they’d invest in merchandise if the franchise were brought back to life by Electronic Arts, but the chances of that are slim to none.
Are you shocked by this attempt to cash in on a community in mourning? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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