The fight over the future of Mass Effect has moved from social media to a sidewalk in Spain. An EA office building in Madrid was tagged with the words “Save Mass Effect”, only days after the publisher confirmed it had shut down series developer BioWare.
Photos of the graffiti were posted by Reddit user Ok_Link9625, who said they walked past the offices after leaving a movie theater and spotted the slogan in at least two places – on the ground in front of the entrance and on the wall facing the building.
From hashtag to petition to billboards
The #SaveMassEffect movement appeared almost immediately after EA put the sci-fi RPG series on indefinite hold, canceled the Mass Effect: Universe project and laid off BioWare staff. What started as a hashtag quickly turned into organized action: fans launched a Save Mass Effect petition, which has climbed to roughly 290,000 signatures.
Some fans called for a boycott of EA products. Others went bigger – the group We Are Mass Effect funded a billboard that ran in New York’s Times Square throughout October 26, so far the most visible stunt of the campaign. The group says it wants to pay for more billboards soon, including one planned to go up outside this year’s The Game Awards.
Not everyone is on board with spray paint
Graffiti is a new escalation, and the community is split on it. Some fans want the pressure kept up, both to revive the franchise and to back the developers who built it. Others pointed out that vandalizing an office building is unlikely to convince anyone that the IP is worth saving.
Organizers behind the campaign distanced themselves from the act while admitting they understand the anger behind it. The series composer, meanwhile, used the moment to note how fast the whole thing has snowballed: “The fans are serious as a heart attack!”
What it means for players
So far, neither petitions, billboards nor paint have changed EA’s position. The most recent reports around the fallout say the publisher scrapped its plans for Mass Effect 5 to prioritize Star Wars Battlefront 3 instead. Alleged details about the canceled game described a story that would have accounted for all the choices players made across previous installments – which, if accurate, means years of planned payoff for old saves is gone with it.
In practice, there is no new Mass Effect game on the way and no studio left at BioWare to make one. The campaign is now less about a release date and more about pushing EA to acknowledge the series has an audience. We’re following every twist of the story in our Mass Effect coverage, including what happens to the franchise next.
FAQ
Someone spray-painted “Save Mass Effect” at the building – on the ground by the entrance and on the wall in front of the offices. Photos were shared on Reddit by a user who walked past the location.
EA put the series on indefinite hold earlier this month, canceled the Mass Effect: Universe project and shut down developer BioWare, laying off staff. Fans started the #SaveMassEffect campaign in response.
The fan-made petition has gathered around 290,000 signatures.
There’s no sign that the billboards, petition or graffiti have shifted EA’s stance so far.
According to recent reports, EA dropped its plans for Mass Effect 5 and shifted priority to Star Wars Battlefront 3. The canceled game was said to factor in all the choices players made in earlier entries.