Less Than a Quarter Million People Sign "Save Mass Effect" Petition

They better hope more than 233,392 people buy the game...

We reported last week on the closure of BioWare by EA following a series of disastrous game launches over the past few years. We followed that up with an editorial about how BioWare's fate was sealed a long time ago, regardless of the Mass Effect: Universe trailer that someone allegedly leaked after the studio was closed. Now, fans are petitioning EA to restart development on the fifth Mass Effect game.

Now, a cynical person might point out that the petition, which currently sits at the time of this writing at 233,392 people, would be an enormous disaster if the number of customers who ultimately bought Mass Effect: Universe upon completion equalled the number of petitioners demanding the game be made. With less than a quarter million people heading to Change.org to pledge their support for the #SaveMassEffect campaign, it's not looking too good for their cause. Among the issues being cited in the petition are "proper funding, adequate staffing, and time allocation to maintain and advance the high standards the franchise is known for."

And hey, that's not unreasonable. Also, in fairness, the petition isn't specifically asking for BioWare to be reopened, stating that "EA could consider licensing the Mass Effect intellectual property (IP) to another studio." Another studio is, frankly, the only real option here, but as of now the fate of Mass Effect remains uncertain. You're welcome to sign the petition yourself at the link below; who knows, maybe EA will give it some consideration.

Source: Change.org