A formal petition has been initiated with the Canadian government, calling for its intervention to help BioWare secure independence from its parent company, EA. Petition e-7898, sponsored by Vancouver Kingsway MP Don Davies, aims to provide the Mass Effect developer with the necessary capital to own its intellectual property and protect Canadian businesses from foreign corporate interests.
The petition further urges the government to "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." To be formally presented to the House of Commons, the petition requires 500 signatures. As of this report, it has garnered 2,861 signatures.
Davies stated on Bluesky that EA's decision to close BioWare exemplifies a pattern where publishers acquire developers, diminish their operations, and dismantle them for profit. He emphasized that the developers at BioWare possess the expertise to manage their studio and create beloved games, and should be offered the first opportunity, with federal support, to purchase and operate it themselves.
This development follows a recent call from another Canadian politician, Avi Lewis, who suggested the Canadian government could assist BioWare in gaining independence from EA. While a fan-led petition on change.org previously gathered over 300,000 signatures, the official government petition represents a possibility for tangible action.