Canadian politician tears into EA and calls for federal support of BioWare: "These publishers buy developers, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for profit"

Suddenly, the vibe around the #SaveMassEffect movement has shifted.

At first, it seemed like little more than a grabby hashtag allowing Mass Effect fans to have their voices heard after EA's shocking closure of BioWare and cancelation of Mass Effect 5 last month. But since then, the Change.org petition has racked up more than 300,000 signatures, and now the Canadian government is being forced to acknowledge the situation.

That's because a separate petition asking the Government of Canada for federal support for BioWare has far surpassed the amount of signatures required (3488 currently with a 500-vote threshold) to be certified and presented in the House of Commons. The rules of the Parliament say "the government must respond to every petition presented to the House within 45 calendar days of its presentation or filing with the Clerk."

The petition for federal support isn't about saving Mass Effect specifically, but securing financial support so that BioWare can go independent. It has three stated goals: "Provide BioWare with the capital necessary to secure independence of themselves and their intellectual property from Electronic Arts and resume business as an independent, Canadian company," "Protect Canadian businesses and cultural institutions from being dictated by American and foreign corporate interests," and "Champion the values of inclusivity, tolerance, democracy, justice, and civil rights at the centre of Canada's national identity by preserving BioWare's invaluable contribution to the global entertainment industry."

The fact that the Canadian government is now required to respond the petition is encouraging enough, and now the Member of Parliament representing the official request is voicing his support for BioWare, Mass Effect, and the overall movement online. In a scathing rebuke of EA's treatment of BioWare, New Democrat Parliamentary (NDP) leader Don Davies voices support for the Save Mass Effect movement explicitly and directs users to his Linktree, where the government petition is linked.

"BioWare is an Edmonton-based video game studio that created acclaimed series like #MassEffect, Baldur’s Gate, and Dragon Age," Davies writes. "Canada’s video game industry creates some of our most important cultural exports, and #BioWare was among our greatest success stories."

"BioWare’s US parent company, EA, has decided to close the studio. These publishers buy developers, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for profit. There's a pattern of US companies buying Canadian businesses and shutting them down, costing Canadians their jobs.

"The developers at BioWare know how to run their studio. They know how to make the games that fans love. They should be given the first opportunity – and the federal support – to buy it and run it themselves."

While this is all very exciting and validating for BioWare fans, it doesn't mean the studio is coming back any time soon. The NDP isn't in power in Canada currently and has lost its official party status with just five of the 343 seats in the House of Commons. And even if this petition somehow prompted coordination from the highest levels of the Canadian government, EA still owns the rights to BioWare's IP, and until it shows any willingness to sell anything off, which it's notoriously reluctant to do, fans are at its mercy.

Still, the dual petitions to save Mass Effect and get funding for BioWare are worthwhile endeavors, and the louder they become, the more likely it is that change happens, whether it impacts BioWare specifically or other game studios. And for that reason, I'm choosing to mentally file this as unequivocally good news.

Saving Mass Effect 5 would cost over $200 million, BioWare co-founder says, because fans will want "the best of 'AAA' development"