Avi Lewis, leader of one of Canada’s top opposition parties, wants the Canadian government to help save Mass Effect developer BioWare. The leader of the New Democratic Party took to social media to speak out against publisher EA.
On October 21, EA announced a major shift in strategy and a significant internal restructuring that involves the cancellation of a number of projects, the closure of BioWare in Edmonton, and a reported 400 people losing their jobs. The studio, known for franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, was shut down after more than 30 years of creating beloved role-playing games. It reportedly had 50 people working on the next Mass Effect, all of which were cut.
Lewis linked BioWare’s closure to the $55 billion EA acquisition by an investor group composed of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, approved in December 2025. Since the acquisition, EA has been focusing only on its biggest brands — Battlefield and its sports titles, predominantly — while other series have been pushed aside.
“This is private equity, this is what it does. Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit,” Lewis wrote on X / Twitter.
“The developers at BioWare know how to run the studio. They know how to make the games we all love. They should be given the first opportunity — and the federal support — to buy it and run it themselves. And if we want to avoid the Mass Effect effect in Canada, we should be keeping private equity out, not welcoming it in.”
It’s not a huge surprise that a Canadian official would be plugged into the games industry. Canada already offers significant federal and provincial tax relief to support video game development studios, offsetting costs, which is why so many studios set up a permanent base in major Canadian cities. It’s a government that’s traditionally understood the value gaming brings to a modern economy.
One question fans have is whether or not EA might be willing to sell off BioWare franchises such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age to another studio. IGN spoke to a number of video game industry analysts to find out whether that was likely, and why EA decided to close BioWare down.
A day after EA’s announcement, a trailer for the canceled Mass Effect leaked online. It showed alien smooching, blue tentacle-headed women, and included a title for the game: Mass Effect Universe.
BioWare was a hugely influential studio and basically invented RPG conversation wheels, which have become standard in the genre. Upcoming games The Expanse: Osiris Reborn and Exodus both owe a lot to Mass Effect.
Kirk McKeand is a Contributor on IGN News. Find him on Twitter @MckKirk