In the two weeks since the closure of BioWare, fans of the Canadian RPG studio have been rallying around different petitions and causes, whether they be advocating for the revival of the studio’s canceled Mass Effect: Universe or asking publisher Electronic Arts to give the IP to a new studio that could make games in its sci-fi universe instead. However, following calls from Canadian politician Avi Lewis for the government to help assist BioWare workers in buying the studio and going independent, fans have put together a petition to bring the notion to the Canadian House of Commons, and they’ve already received enough signatures to do so.
The petition, sponsored by Parliament member Don Davies, argues that BioWare is one of Canada’s “most important cultural exports” and that the shuttering by American parent company 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 necessary to secure independence of themselves and their intellectual property from Electronic Arts and resume business as an independent, Canadian company;
2. Protect Canadian businesses and cultural institutions from being dictated by American and foreign corporate interests; and
3. Champion the values of 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 like these require 500 validated signatures from Canadian citizens, presumably so they can’t be spammed by people outside of the country who support a cause, and it has surpassed that number. This means that it will be presented or tabled in the House of Commons, so there will be some kind of official response to this petition.
It’s worth noting that, regardless of what the Canadian government decides to do here, EA still owns BioWare and its IP, so it would require the company’s cooperation and approval. EA historically doesn’t sell its IP or studios, which many assume is why it didn’t sell off BioWare following its acquisition by private equity earlier this year, so don’t get your hopes up just yet.
Reports that followed BioWare’s closure claim that EA decided to shutter the studio and cancel Mass Effect: Universe after weighing its budget and choosing to prioritize Star Wars: Battlefront 3, a game that it reportedly hasn’t begun actual development on, over BioWare’s sci-fi RPG sequel.
