Petition to Save BioWare Gains Traction
In the two weeks since BioWare’s closure, fans have rallied around petitions and causes, from reviving the canceled Mass Effect: Universe to urging Electronic Arts to hand the IP to a new studio. After Canadian politician Avi Lewis urged the government to help workers buy the studio, fans gathered enough signatures to present the idea to the Canadian House of Commons.
The petition, sponsored by Parliament member Don Davies, argues that BioWare is one of Canada’s “most important cultural exports” and that the shutdown by American parent Electronic Arts “represents an immense loss to and possibly a targeted attack on Canada’s cultural legacy.”
We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to:
1. Provide BioWare with the capital needed to secure independence from Electronic Arts and resume operations as an independent, Canadian company;
2. Protect Canadian businesses and cultural institutions from being dictated by American and foreign corporate interests; and
3. Champion inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice, and civil rights at the centre of Canada’s national identity by preserving BioWare’s invaluable contribution to the global entertainment industry.
As laid out on the House of Commons website, petitions require 500 validated signatures from Canadian citizens to avoid outside spamming, and this petition has surpassed that threshold. Consequently, it will be presented or tabled in the House of Commons, ensuring an official response.
Regardless of the government’s decision, Electronic Arts still owns BioWare and its IP, and the company has historically refused to sell its studios or intellectual property. Earlier this year, even after private‑equity acquisition, EA chose not to divest BioWare, suggesting a sale is unlikely. Reports following the closure indicate that EA shut down the studio and cancelled Mass Effect: Universe after weighing budgets and prioritising Star Wars: Battlefront 3, a project that has yet to begin development.
