More information about the now-canceled Mass Effect: Universe‘s development keeps trickling out following the closure of studio BioWare. BFM Tech, a French news outlet, spoke to some anonymous developers who have been laid off from the studio, and their comments give some insight into why the game was canceled, while also revealing that BioWare removed a flag that was apparently deemed too close to a Pride flag before a demo that was being shown to EA management in order to not “offend” executives.
The report, which is written in French (Kotaku has received an independent translation), backs up a few things we know from the leaks over the past week, including that the game would take place 600 years in the future, star a new protagonist, and include original trilogy companion Liara T’Soni in a major role. The outlet’s sources say that the game was still a ways off, even though the team had concepts for swaths of the game, including its story, and some narrative design elements that would incorporate choices from across the franchise. Even so, BFM‘s sources say development was going well, though some deadlines were missed along the way. BioWare was planning to release the game in late 2028, and switching to Unreal Engine after using the notoriously difficult Frostbite Engine on Mass Effect: Andromeda was helping things along.
However, BFM‘s sources say that following Electronic Arts’ acquisition by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners, and Affinity Partners, the video proposals to new management didn’t convince the higher-ups that the project was worth pursuing. A source tells BFM that the team at BioWare removed a flag that reportedly resembled a Pride flag from a presentation for fear that it “could cause friction” between the studio and executive management at a time when the BioWare team was already feeling like Mass Effect wasn’t a priority for EA.
Following the closure of Bioware, I was able to speak with some employees from the studio to learn more about the development of the next Mass Effect.
I also learned that certain diversity-focused elements were removed from demos shown to EA executives. 👇👇 https://t.co/A5WidWlSKh
— Sylvain 🧡❤️🔥 (@SylvainTrinel) October 27, 2026
Sylvain Trinel, the reporter who wrote the original piece for BFM, tells us that this was “in anticipation of potential negative feedback given Electronic Arts’ current shareholding structure.” and that “contrary to what is being said about this on social media, [the decision to remove the flag] was not [made] out of a desire to hide inclusive elements, but rather to anticipate negative feedback from conservative executives.”
We’ve reached out to EA for comment on the situation and will update this story if we hear back.
Following EA’s acquisition back in August, sources told Kotaku that EA management had told employees that the new owners wouldn’t be making creative decisions after some expressed fears that the Saudi Arabian government’s repeated human rights violations against queer people, along with Affinity Partners founder Jared Kushner’s ties to the Trump family, would mean that historically inclusive studios and series would be unable to include queer characters and themes in the future. However, even if the private equity monster isn’t making direct decisions, this is an example of how the threat of being reprimanded can lead to complying in advance. BioWare was shuttered following the acquisition, and it remains to be seen if series like The Sims will become less inclusive as EA adapts to the company’s new ownership.
