Canadian Fans Petition Parliament to Save BioWare
A petition asking Canada's government to keep BioWare alive has passed the signature threshold to reach the House of Commons. It cannot force EA to sell the studio.
A petition to keep BioWare alive is going before Canada's House of Commons. It cannot, on its own, change what EA does with the studio.
Why a petition cannot decide this
Ottawa could back every aim in the petition and still lack the power to make EA sell BioWare or its franchises. Parliament can listen. The studio belongs to its American parent company.
EA made no attempt to find a buyer before the closure. Its record is to shut down studios it owns instead of selling them. It has kept the franchises of the studios it shut.
Why it reaches Parliament
The petition opened for signatures on Nov. 4. It already has 1,700 of them. Canadian law puts a petition on the House of Commons agenda once it passes 500 valid signatures from citizens or residents. That means it will be presented to Parliament.
The step is procedural. It is encouraging for supporters, but it does not promise any outcome.
What petition e-7898 asks for
The fans want the government to find a way for BioWare to continue. One example they give is funding that would let the studio buy the Mass Effect franchise and other properties, and go independent.
The text calls BioWare "one of Canada's most important cultural exports." It says the closure by an American parent "represents an immense loss to and possibly a targeted attack on Canada's cultural legacy." It also argues that BioWare's productions champion inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice and civil rights.
The move came after EA decided to close the studio. It seems to follow a call from New Democratic Party leader Avi Lewis for the government to step in.
Other ways fans are reacting
A separate petition to save Mass Effect has drawn hundreds of thousands of signatures. The people behind it bought billboards in Times Square in New York City. They plan more outside The Game Awards ceremony in December.
Former BioWare developers have meanwhile talked about the studio's final days. They spoke of the work they put into Mass Effect Universe, the last project before the studio was shut.
Source: Eurogamer.net