With BioWare closing its doors, fans have been asking the same question all week: will Electronic Arts let someone else make Mass Effect? According to former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah, a sale is possible, but nobody should expect one soon.
Darrah, who worked at BioWare from 1997 to 2021 and became one of the key leaders on the Dragon Age series, shared his thoughts in a new video on his YouTube channel, posted yesterday shortly after EA announced the closure.
EA Still Owns Everything
Darrah started with a reminder that the closure doesn't change who holds the keys. "Remember BioWare is 100% owned by EA," he said. "EA owns all the IPs, they own Dragon Age, they own Mass Effect, they own Jade Empire." He added that this "doesn't change the situation, really, at all."
What has changed is that no one inside EA is now working on those franchises. Darrah pointed out that this cuts both ways. It "might make them more likely to sell off those IPs. But it might also make them more likely to just try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault."
Why Fans Shouldn't Hold Their Breath
Darrah was careful not to promise anything. "I think we still are gonna have to wait a little bit before we see if EA has any interest in selling off some of its dormant IPs," he explained.
His reasoning comes down to where EA is as a business. Darrah described the publisher as currently being "in cost control mode," but suggested that could shift later into a revenue-generation phase where "selling IPs might be more desirable."
That framing matters. EA is now privately owned following a $55 billion buyout by an investor consortium, and its restructuring this week focused on a handful of big priorities. In its message to staff, EA said a small team at BioWare had been in early development on Mass Effect, adding that "We've made the decision not to move forward with this development." A company trimming costs is in a very different position from one actively shopping its back catalog.
Three Very Different Franchises
If EA ever did decide to sell, the three series Darrah named are in very different places.
Mass Effect is the most valuable of the trio. The original trilogy is still beloved, the Legendary Edition gave it a second life, and an Amazon live-action series has been in development. The last new game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, released in 2017.
Dragon Age is the most recent, with Dragon Age: The Veilguard launching in 2024. Its reception and sales were a big part of the conversation around BioWare's future over the last two years.
Jade Empire hasn't had a new game since its 2005 debut, though it still has a loyal following among BioWare fans.
Each would appeal to different buyers, and it's possible EA keeps the bigger names while letting smaller ones go, or keeps all three to license out later. None of that has been suggested by EA.
What A Sale Would Actually Mean
Even in a best-case scenario, buying an IP isn't the same as buying the people who made it. BioWare's closure means its developers are now looking for new jobs, and its unfinished Mass Effect project goes nowhere unless EA decides otherwise. A new owner would be starting with a name, a universe and decades of lore, but not the team or, necessarily, the work already done.
Darrah's comments are also opinion, not inside information. He left BioWare years ago, and while his experience gives him useful insight into how EA thinks, he isn't speaking for the publisher. EA has not said anything publicly about selling any BioWare franchise.
The Waiting Game
For now, Mass Effect sits on the shelf, and fans have little choice but to wait. Darrah's take offers a sliver of hope, but also a realistic warning that dormant IPs can stay dormant for a very long time.
Meanwhile, the people who were actually making the next game have started speaking out, and their posts paint a picture of a project that many on the team believed in.
Do you think EA should sell Mass Effect to another studio, or would you rather it stay with EA in the hope that the series returns someday?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.