Uncertainty Surrounds Mass Effect’s Future as Ex-EA Manager Suggests New Game Unlikely with Current Ownership
Electronic Arts has recently come under new ownership, and this shift could spell trouble for fans of Mass Effect. The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), along with Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners and Silver Lake, has acquired EA for a staggering $55 billion. Current and former employees of EA are expressing concerns about what this means for the future of the company, especially regarding its cherished franchises like Mass Effect.
Emmanuel Rosier, a marketing intelligence director at a game industry analysis firm and a former senior manager at EA, hinted in a recent interview that the future of the Mass Effect series is uncertain. He pointed out that under the PIF’s leadership, EA is likely to focus heavily on sports games and esports. He noted, “In the middle you have these IPs like the BioWare IPs. They’ve been struggling as a studio, as a brand have been struggling in recent years, and I don’t know if they will keep funding that one. I think that’s the biggest question mark for me.”
When the interviewer expressed hope that EA wouldn’t abruptly cancel Mass Effect, Rosier responded, “I will believe it when I see it, the next Mass Effect game, let’s put it that way. I’ve worked many years with BioWare; sometimes it can stretch for years and years until something comes.” He added, “I think everything can happen at this moment. They can pull the plug very, very easily. And if the new investor doesn’t have that many feelings about the history of the portfolio, they will take the most financially sound decision most probably.”
Last November, BioWare provided an update on the next Mass Effect game, stating, “Let’s start by setting the record straight: the next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe.” It’s been over nine years since Mass Effect: Andromeda left many fans disappointed, following the series’ debut in 2007 with the original Mass Effect.
The acquisition by PIF has not only left Mass Effect fans uneasy; many current employees have voiced their discontent with the new ownership. In an interview, one employee remarked, “If EA had a culture that had any semblance of a moral backbone, it wouldn’t get into bed with a prince who’s disgusted by many of its current employees’ sexualities and ethnicities. Then you have Jared Kushner in this disgusting business stew, which just adds insult to injury. I feel gross just thinking about it, but there’s nowhere else to go. I’d love to leave, but the jobs aren’t there, and I have bills to pay.” Another employee stated that EA president Andrew Wilson “basically said ‘f you’ to all women and LGBTQ employees at EA with this deal.”
The Saudi Arabian government, which controls the PIF, has faced accusations of using investments in the gaming industry as a form of “sportswashing,” attempting to divert attention from its human rights violations. The country and its de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, have been criticized for exploiting migrant laborers, enforcing anti-LGBTQ laws, and committing acts of violence against political opponents, including the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
