N7 day, the annual celebration of all things Mass Effect, is going to hit a little different this year. Before EA killed BioWare, we might've expected to get a teaser for Mass Effect 5, but because that game is now canceled, well, let's just say the vibes in the RPG community will probably be a little askew on November 7. That said, if you're a merchandise store with a licensing agreement from EA that hasn't expired yet, the vibes are going to be downright celebratory, as the Official BioWare Gear Store, "powered by DPI Merch," has some new and returning Mass Effect goodies it just dug out from BioWare's freshly buried grave.
Most of the merch available on the BioWare store has been around forever, as the storefront has been chugging along all the while, but the hot ticket item for this year's N7 Day is likely to be the replica of the helmet worn by Commander Shepherd in Mass Effect. The helmet was first made available in 2021, but it's available for pre-order again via the BioWare store for, brace yourselves, one hundred and seventy-five big ones, or American dollars.
"The galaxy doesn't wait for the faint of heart, and neither does the Mass Effect N7 Wearable LED Helmet," reads the product description. "This isn't just a collectible — it's a reckoning. Whether you bled Paragon blue or burned Renegade red, your path through the Reaper War is cast in detail that honors every impossible decision you made along the way."
There's a bunch of other stuff on sale for N7 Day including branded clothing and accessories, but it's becoming increasingly hard to write about this incredibly tone-deaf merchandising push while BioWare fans are still mourning the abrupt closure of the studio and former employees scramble to find work in the wake of EA's bloodbath. It's worth noting that it's unclear how much EA is actually involved in sales like this one, as it's all run by DPI Merchandising, but it's a deeply uncomfortable 'celebration' regardless. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say maybe N7 Day should've just been canceled this year.
Mass Effect can still live on – Baldur's Gate 3 and Fable are proof
