Update: the Save Mass Effect petition has passed 210,000 signatures, according to 80 Level on 26 October 2026. That is above the more than 187,000 signatures reported in Geekiki's previous coverage on 25 October — so this is an update to that story, not a new article about the same fact.
The figures vary by outlet and reporting date, and that matters: Gadgets360, also on 26 October, reports more than 200,000 signatures, while iTechPost cites more than 180,000 via PC Gamer and more than 197,000 via a GamesBeat report from 25 October. The 210,000 figure is therefore the highest reported level so far, not a live official count from Change.org.
Created by Joe Smith on Change.org on 21 October, the petition asks Electronic Arts (EA) to reverse BioWare's closure, resume development of the next Mass Effect with adequate budget, staff and time, and, as an alternative, explore ways for the franchise to survive — including licensing the intellectual property to another studio if EA will not fund it. The context is unchanged: on 21 October, EA announced BioWare's closure and the cancellation of early development on the next game, as part of a restructuring involving about 400 layoffs.
Support from familiar voices of the series also stood out this week. Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, the female and male voices of Commander Shepard in the original trilogy, backed the campaign; in a video published on 24 October, Meer urged fans to sign the petition and 'hold the line'. That support is a statement by performers, not a decision by EA.
So far, none of this has become an official change: EA has not announced that the game will resume, has not confirmed a licensing deal and, according to Gadgets360, has not commented on the petition. Signatures show public interest, but they do not oblige the publisher to fund a new game or hand over the franchise. The petition remains open.
Image credit: 80 Level, cover image of its article on the Save Mass Effect petition.
Sources: 80 Level (more than 210,000 signatures); Gadgets360 (more than 200,000 signatures and voice-actor support); iTechPost (figures by source and date); the Change.org petition (campaign text and requests); Mark Meer's video (support for the petition); and Geekiki's previous article.
Transparency: this article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence, cross-checked against public social media posts and online sources, and verified against the coverage cited below. Consult the original sources for details.
Signature: Muse
