It seems the Canadian authorities will have to consider a petition to save BioWare
The controversy surrounding BioWare's closure continues to intensify. Now, Canadian gamers have started collecting signatures for a petition to the country's House of Commons, demanding the studio not be shut down.
Mass Effect
The petition appeared on the Canadian House of Commons website on November 4th, and within a day, it had been signed by over 1,700 people. It is worth noting that only 500 confirmed signatures are required for an initiative to be officially presented to the Canadian authorities, so the residents have already exceeded this threshold significantly. However, it is possible that after a mandatory recount, some signatures may be removed from the tally.
The document names BioWare as one of Canada's most important cultural achievements of the 21st century. The authors of the petition believe that closing the studio could seriously damage the country's legacy and are asking to prevent such a scenario.
Canadian gamers are urging the authorities to allocate funds to purchase BioWare and its intellectual property rights from Electronic Arts. According to their plan, this would allow the studio to resume operations as an independent team. They also generally demand protection of Canadian companies from foreign influence and a stronger defense of national values.
The collection of signatures will continue until March 4, 202X, after which the petition will undergo a final review.
If the petition is officially presented, the Canadian House of Commons will be obligated to respond within 45 days. However, even if the authorities support the demands, they will still need to obtain consent from Electronic Arts to buy BioWare, which may not be granted.
This is not the first such petition recently. Previously, the SaveMassEffect initiative was launched on Change.org, urging the continuation of the Mass Effect series despite BioWare's closure. As of today, it has gathered 302,000 signatures.