Mass Effect fans just will not go quietly into the galaxy’s good night.
The #SaveMassEffect movement started last week continued today with a new GoFundMe looking to raise funds to continue the fight with new billboards—and its goal was reached within 20 minutes.
The fans behind the movement set a goal of $5,200 to purchase mobile billboards outside of Electronic Arts headquarters, EA Edmonton, and the location of The Game Awards taking place at the beginning of December. They’ve already reached over $5,700 and counting and posted a billboard in New York City’s Times Square to spread the message.
The organizers say that “any additional funds will be donated to the Game Worker Hardship Fund,” which is “a fund that helps laid off developers in both the US and Canada.”
“Save Mass Effect is about letting EA and everyone involved with Mass Effect Universe and Mass Effect as a franchise that we want to see the story continue,” the GoFundMe’s page reads. “We want to see the hard work of the devs who have dedicated their lives to this franchise and we want to see them finish their story. Mass Effect deserves to not die in some EA vault, dead forever.”
Last week, EA shuttered BioWare and shut down development on Mass Effect Universe, and there’s been a massive ripple effect since. A dev working on the project leaked an in-progress trailer to tease what the studio was working on, and the community has been in an uproar ever since.
I am heartened by the reaction from the Mass Effect and greater gaming community, as at the very least it shows the devs and those who worked on the franchise just how loved it was. I remain skeptical that it will make a difference for EA and its new Saudi-based owners, but if nothing else, it’s proven that the game franchise does indeed deserve better than how things have gone down of late. The #SaveMassEffect petition reaching over 250,000 signatures today just solidifies that.
