Canadian Politician Launches Petition to Help BioWare Break Free From EA

A Canadian politician has started an official government petition aimed at saving BioWare, the studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series. The request asks for government help so the developer can buy its way out from under Electronic Arts, which has owned BioWare since 2007.

The source material does not name the politician, spell out exactly what the petition asks the government to do, or say how many signatures it has collected so far. Those details will matter for judging how seriously the effort could be taken, and none of them have been confirmed here.

The petition comes at a tough time for BioWare. The studio has gone through layoffs and project setbacks in recent years, and many longtime fans have worried about where it fits within EA's larger plans. A petition like this puts that concern in front of lawmakers, even if a government's ability to intervene in a deal between a publisher and its studio is uncertain.

BioWare has not, based on this report, announced any change to its ownership, so the situation remains an open question for fans and the wider industry.