Reviving the canceled Mass Effect project would cost more than $200 million, according to BioWare veteran Trent Oster, as reported by games.tiscali.cz.
Fans launched the #SaveMassEffect petition following the October closure of BioWare and the cancellation of Mass Effect 5, gathering over 300,000 signatures, hrej.cz reported. The initiative asks Electronic Arts to either fund the continuation or sell the intellectual property to another studio.
Former development director Mark Darrah suggested Electronic Arts might release its flagship series to outside buyers. However, Oster explained that high production expectations from modern role-playing game audiences create steep financial hurdles for any potential revival.
“Děsivou součástí Mass Effectu je, že jeho publikum bude očekávat to nejlepší z AAA vývoje,” wrote BioWare veteran Trent Oster on X.
Electronic Arts holds a reputation for retaining its intellectual properties without actively developing them, complicating potential acquisition talks, according to games.tiscali.cz. Even if the publisher agreed to license or sell the franchise, the initial capital requirement could easily deter interested buyers.
The scary component of Mass Effect is the audience is going to want the best of “AAA” development. Rough ballpark (based on contemporaries) is $200M+. That is a big number to commit up front. There has to be a bigger plan in place for the IP to make the math work.
Lower-budget alternatives exist if a disciplined and experienced team takes over the project, games.tiscali.cz reported. Oster noted that studios in central and eastern Europe have produced prominent role-playing games on tighter budgets, pointing to Rebel Wolves and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
While the petition demonstrates clear consumer interest in a new sci-fi role-playing game, enthusiastic signatures alone cannot fund development, hrej.cz reported. Oster is currently calculating alternative approaches to bring the series back, though any scaled-down version would likely differ significantly from the canceled Mass Effect Universe concept.
The petition asks Electronic Arts to either continue funding the canceled project or sell the intellectual property rights to another studio, according to games.tiscali.cz and hrej.cz.
The initiative has collected over 300,000 signatures from fans seeking to revive the franchise, hrej.cz reported.
Electronic Arts retains full ownership of the intellectual property, and matching modern AAA expectations would require an upfront investment exceeding $200 million, games.tiscali.cz reported.
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