Mass Effect Fans Take Their Save Campaign to Times Square
Fans campaigning to save Mass Effect have put a billboard in New York City's Times Square. It points people to the #SaveMassEffect hashtag and asks publisher Electronic Arts (EA) to keep the sci-fi role-playing series in development.
The billboard shows the words "Kellah Si'yah," a reference to the ship that carried the different species to settle the Andromeda system in the games. It was organised by the We Are Mass Effect community group with content creator Kala Elizabeth, according to Eurogamer.
The campaign follows the closure of BioWare, the studio that made the series. IGN reported that the #SaveMassEffect petition started on the same day the studio closed. At the time of IGN's report, it had 52,783 signatures.
Support has grown quickly since then. Windows Central reported that the petition had passed 170,000 signatures as fans planned the billboard. The petition is hosted on Change.org, and GameRant reported 216,561 unique signatures. Eurogamer gave a total of 226,000 signatures.
The petition asks EA to commit to continued development of Mass Effect. It suggests two routes: EA could fund a new game itself, or license the series to an outside studio. Voice actors who have played Commander Shepard, the series' main character, have also backed the movement, according to Yahoo Tech.
Campaign organiser Maria Mora told Eurogamer that more displays are planned. These include an advertising truck near EA's headquarters in Redwood City, California, and another in Edmonton, Alberta, where BioWare had an office. A mobile billboard is set for N7 Day, a fan celebration of the series, and a Los Angeles billboard is planned for The Game Awards, the annual industry show. All of them carry the #SaveMassEffect message.
The work is paid for by the community through a GoFundMe page. Any money raised above the campaign's goal will go to the Game Workers' Hardship Fund, which supports game developers who have lost their jobs.
EA has not said whether it will change its plans for the series. The campaign's next steps will run through the displays, the petition and the fundraiser, all set for the weeks ahead.
