Developers at BioWare removed a flag resembling the Pride flag from a Mass Effect: Universe presentation for Electronic Arts management, according to French outlet BFM Tech. The team reportedly worried the flag “could cause friction” with executives following EA’s change in ownership.
The claims come from anonymous developers who lost their jobs when EA closed BioWare. Their account adds detail to a week of leaks about the canceled project. It also gives a partial explanation for why the new management chose not to move forward with it.
What Mass Effect: Universe was meant to be
BFM’s sources back up several details that had already surfaced in leaks. The game would have taken place 600 years in the future and starred a new protagonist. Liara T’Soni, a companion from the original trilogy, was set for a major role.
The team had concepts for large parts of the game, including its story. Some narrative design ideas would have pulled in player choices from across the franchise. Even so, the project was still a long way from release.
According to the developers, production was going well overall, although the studio missed some deadlines. BioWare was targeting a late 2028 launch. Moving to Unreal Engine also helped, since the studio had struggled with EA’s Frostbite engine on Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Pitches to EA’s new owners fell flat
EA was acquired in August by a consortium made up of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners. After the deal closed, BioWare presented video proposals for Mass Effect: Universe to the new leadership. According to BFM’s sources, those pitches did not convince management the project was worth pursuing.
At the time, staff already felt Mass Effect was not a priority for EA. One source told BFM the team then removed the flag from a Mass Effect: Universe presentation ahead of time.
BFM reporter Sylvain Trinel, who wrote the original piece, told Kotaku the change came “in anticipation of potential negative feedback given Electronic Arts’ current shareholding structure.” He added that the decision “was not [made] out of a desire to hide inclusive elements, but rather to anticipate negative feedback from conservative executives.”
In other words, executives did not order the change. The development team made it in advance. EA had not responded to Kotaku’s request for comment at the time of publication.
Fears raised after the acquisition
The report follows concerns EA employees voiced after the sale. Sources told Kotaku in August that some staff feared EA’s historically inclusive studios and series would no longer be able to feature queer characters and themes.
Those worries centered on the Saudi government’s record of human rights violations against queer people. Staff also cited Affinity Partners founder Jared Kushner and his ties to the Trump family. In response, EA management told employees the new owners would not make creative decisions.
BioWare was shut down after the acquisition, and Mass Effect: Universe was canceled with it. The BFM account is so far the most detailed description of how the studio approached its pitches to the new owners in the months before the closure.