BioWare Fans Call on Canadian Government to Prevent Studio Closure

BioWare fans have petitioned the Canadian government to help the studio gain independence from Electronic Arts. It is unclear how realistic their demands are.

The petition on the Canadian Parliament’s official website calls on the government to provide BioWare with the funding needed to buy the studio from EA and acquire the rights to its intellectual property franchises. The campaign’s organizers also want to protect Canadian developers from the influence of American and other foreign corporations.

The petition’s authors consider BioWare one of Canada’s most important cultural assets and describe its games as a significant Canadian export. They say the studio’s games have sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and promote the values of inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice, and civil rights.

The petition also claims that the closure of BioWare by its American parent company, EA, represents a major loss to Canada’s cultural heritage. The authors mention Electronic Arts’ new owners: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, and Jared Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners.

EA has not announced plans to sell BioWare to an outside buyer or give employees an opportunity to buy the studio themselves. The publisher may also have its own plans for the franchises it owns. For example, a television adaptation of Mass Effect remains in development despite the studio’s fate.

Source: iXBT.games