Jennifer Hale, the acclaimed voice actor behind the female Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy, has expressed her hope for the series' future following the leak of a trailer for the next installment. The leak coincided with EA's announcement of BioWare's closure, a move that deeply affected the Mass Effect community.
Hale responded to a re-upload of the trailer on X/Twitter, stating, “It's extraordinary. I’m holding hope for magic to happen. This community and you incredible devs deserve that and more.”
In a prior Instagram Live session with Mark Meer, the voice of male Commander Shepard, Hale conveyed a sense of cautious optimism. "I feel weirdly hopeful, and I can’t explain why," she said, while also expressing sympathy for the BioWare employees who lost their jobs. Meer echoed her sentiments, calling the studio's closure a "massive loss" for the industry.
Hale speculated that EA might consider selling BioWare's intellectual properties, such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age, to other developers as a means to increase profit margins. This idea has gained traction among fans and even prompted commentary from Canadian politicians.
However, industry analysts have urged caution, suggesting that BioWare's IPs do not align with EA's current business strategy and would likely be prohibitively expensive for other studios to acquire. Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah noted that while EA might consider selling off IPs to cut costs, it's also possible they could simply shelve them.