Canadian Opposition Leader Wants Ottawa to Help BioWare Staff Buy the Studio Back

Avi Lewis, who leads one of Canada's main opposition parties, has called on the federal government to step in and help save BioWare, the Edmonton studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The proposal is for public support that would let the studio's own staff buy BioWare from Electronic Arts and operate it as an independent company.

BioWare has been one of the best-known developers in Canada for more than two decades, and its games are a big part of the country's gaming identity. In recent years the studio has faced layoffs and restructuring while EA has leaned into cost cuts and its wider publishing strategy, and players and developers have openly worried about what comes next. A buyout led by employees with government backing would be an unusual move in an industry where publishers usually decide the fate of their studios on their own.

The source material does not say how much money Lewis has in mind, what form government help would take, or whether EA would be willing to sell. Those details will decide whether the idea moves beyond a political call. For now, it is an opening proposal rather than a deal, and the next thing to watch is whether EA or the government responds.