Mass Effect fans park billboard truck at EA HQ after studio closure

Mass Effect fans organised a mobile billboard truck displaying the hashtag Save Mass Effect outside the headquarters of publisher Electronic Arts in Redwood, California, on November 6. IGN, Destructoid, and Kotaku reported that the push was arranged by the fan group We Are Mass Effect to protest the cancellation of the next sci-fi role-playing game entry. Kotaku reported that the effort was organized by Ariel Aguilar, Mer, and content creator Kala Elizabeth, with the truck scheduled to circle the property for four hours. [1][2][3]

The campaign follows crowdfunding efforts that previously funded a daylong billboard in Times Square in New York City, according to IGN and Kotaku. Destructoid reported that an online petition under the Save Mass Effect name has passed 300,000 signatures. Separate petitions and crowdfunding efforts have also gained traction in Canada. [1][2][3]

Push Square reported that a separate public petition with over 2,300 signatures will be presented to the Canadian government. Canadian law requires any public petition with at least 500 signatures to be added to the agenda of the House of Commons. The petition calls the Edmonton-based studio one of the most important cultural exports for Canada. [4][12]

The protests follow the decision by Electronic Arts to close BioWare on October 21, as reported by Kotaku and GameSpot. As FTMQ Gaming reported earlier, the closure resulted in the cancellation of the next Mass Effect entry and an estimated 400 layoffs during internal publisher restructuring. [3][5][11][12]