In the two weeks since BioWare shut down, fans of the Canadian RPG studio have rallied around different petitions and causes, from advocating for the revival of the canceled studio. Mass Effect: Universe or ask publisher Electronic Arts to give the intellectual property to a new studio that could instead create games in its sci-fi universe. However, following calls from Canadian politician Avi Lewis for the government to help BioWare workers buy the studio and become independent, fans have started a petition to bring this idea to the Canadian House of Commons, and they have already received enough signatures to do so.
The petition, sponsored by MP Don Davies, argues that BioWare is one of Canada’s “most important cultural exports” and that the closure of American parent company Electronic Arts “represents an immense loss and perhaps a targeted attack on Canada’s cultural heritage.”
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call on the Government of Canada to:
1. Provide BioWare with the capital necessary to ensure its independence and that of its intellectual property from Electronic Arts and resume operations as an independent Canadian company;
2. Protect Canadian businesses and cultural institutions against the dictates of American and foreign corporate interests; And
3. Defend the values of inclusiveness, tolerance, democracy, justice and civil rights at the center of Canada’s national identity by preserving BioWare’s invaluable contribution to the global entertainment industry.
As noted on the House of Commons website, petitions like this require 500 validated signatures from Canadian citizens, presumably to prevent them from being able to be sent by people from outside the country who support a cause, and this number has exceeded that figure. This means that it will be presented or tabled in the House of Commons, and therefore there will be some sort of official response to this petition.
It’s worth noting that regardless of the Canadian government’s decision, EA still owns BioWare and its intellectual property, which would require the company’s cooperation and approval. EA historically doesn’t sell its intellectual property or studios, which many believe is why it didn’t sell BioWare after it was acquired by a private equity fund earlier this year, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.
Reports following BioWare’s closure claim that EA has decided to close the studio and cancel Mass Effect: Universe after having weighed your budget and chosen to prioritize Star Wars: Battlefront 3a game he apparently hasn’t started building on, compared to the sequel to BioWare’s sci-fi RPG.
Gn tech
