BioWare Is No More, But Its Impact On Queer Representation In Video Games Will Live On Forever

BioWare was shuttered by Electronic Arts earlier this week, resulting in 50 or so people losing their jobs and the upcoming Mass Effect 5 being cancelled. While the studio’s last decade of struggles have been frequently documented as games like Mass Effect Andromeda, Anthem, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to live up to expectations, there nevertheless existed an optimism among fans that the magic would return. Much of this fainthearted hope rested on Mass Effect 5, a game many believed would right the studio's wrongs and pull this architect of modern RPGs away from the brink of oblivion. But I was wrong. Now BioWare is no more, and it breaks my heart. Like millions of others, I grew up with Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins and view them as magnificent achievements, the likes of which we might never see in video games again. They were a selection of bold and ambitious adventures that introduced us to larger-than-life worlds and extraordinary characters that would quickly cement themselves into legend. They each gave players the freedom to be themselves by creating avatars who represented who they wanted to be in reality. While there were several obstacles to conquer along …

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