"Save Mass Effect" Graffiti Appears on EA Office in Madrid

Frustration over the closure of BioWare has moved from social media feeds to the street. According to reports, the words "Save Mass Effect" were spray-painted on the outside of an Electronic Arts office building in Madrid, only days after EA announced it had shuttered the studio behind the sci-fi role-playing series.

The message is hard to misread. Mass Effect is one of the best-known franchises BioWare has built, and its fans have long debated where the series should go next. The closure of the developer lands on top of those debates, and the vandalism suggests that some players feel the dispute has reached a point where online petitions and forum posts no longer feel like enough.

The available details are thin, and it's worth being clear about what is and isn't established. The reports confirm the painted message and the location, an EA building in Madrid. They do not say who was responsible, whether anyone has been identified, or whether the damage has been removed. The reports also don't say whether EA has commented on the graffiti.

Defacing property is not a constructive way to make a point, and it's unlikely to change a corporate decision. Still, the incident is a clear sign of how strongly players still identify with Mass Effect, and of how much attention the studio's closure has drawn from the fan base.