Petition to Save BioWare Passes 500, and the Hard Part Is Who Sells

A petition asking Canada's federal government to help BioWare's staff buy their studio and its games back from Electronic Arts has passed the 500 signatures the House of Commons requires for certification, and the closure of the Edmonton developer is now a matter of politics ^[2][4].

The official page for petition e-7898 currently shows 2,300 validated signatures, more than four times the minimum ^[2]. It asks Ottawa to provide capital so BioWare can win independence from EA, acquire its intellectual property and resume business as an independent Canadian company ^[2]. It also asks for protection of Canadian businesses and cultural institutions from foreign corporate interests ^[2].

That is a long way from a rescue. The petition is still open, certification comes only after it closes, and nobody in government has committed to anything ^[2][4].

What happened to BioWare

EA announced the closure of BioWare's Edmonton studio on October 21, along with a wider restructuring and the cancellation of projects, according to IGN ^[3]. The studio made the Mass Effect and Dragon Age games. IGN reported that about 50 people had been working on the next Mass Effect project ^[3]. The Daily Inference reported on October 21 that EA was ending early work on that game and shutting the studio.

Two days later, Avi Lewis, leader of the New Democratic Party, said BioWare's developers should get the first chance, with federal support, to buy the studio and run it themselves, IGN reported, citing his post on social media ^[3]. Lewis also accused private equity of buying businesses, running them into the ground and breaking them apart for short-term profit ^[3]. That is his political argument. It is not an established finding about EA's decision.

Lewis's idea is a public proposal, not a government plan. No budget figure from him or anyone else has been published.

How a petition works

The petition was started by Brendan Routh of Burnaby, British Columbia, and authorized by NDP MP Don Davies ^[2]. It opened for signatures on November 4, 14 days after EA announced the closure, and is scheduled to close on March 4, 2027, four months later ^[2][3]. Eurogamer reported on November 5 that it had already passed 500 signatures ^[1].

The 500 figure is the floor the House sets for any electronic petition. It requires at least 500 valid signatures from Canadian citizens or residents to be certified ^[4]. The Clerk does the final validation after the petition closes, and only then can an MP present a certified petition to the House ^[4]. The page's displayed count can change in the meantime, and it includes only validated signatures ^[2].

The House's own petition page is blunt about the next step. There is no obligation on the House or on any MP to present an e-petition, and presenting one does not mean the MP endorses what it says ^[2]. If a petition is presented, the government must respond within 45 calendar days ^[4].

A response is a reply, not a cheque. The rules require the government to answer. They do not require it to act.

The harder problem

The petition's argument is cultural. It calls BioWare one of Canada's important cultural exports and says its closure is a loss to Canadian cultural heritage ^[2]. Those are the petitioners' claims, and the House has made no finding on them.

A studio and the rights to its games are separate things, and the petition needs both. A staff buyout that secured only the name and the building would leave Mass Effect and Dragon Age in EA's hands. The petition asks for capital to acquire the intellectual property ^[2], and that depends on a seller.

Eurogamer reports that the government cannot force EA to sell BioWare or its intellectual property ^[1]. It also reports that EA did not shop the studio around before closing it ^[1]. Both points are Eurogamer's account and assessment. Neither EA nor former BioWare staff has publicly responded to the petition or to Lewis's proposal, so it is not known whether EA would entertain an offer, or whether the developers want to run a company at all.

There is also a question of sequence. The petition cannot be presented until after it closes on March 4, 2027, and after the Clerk's validation ^[2][4]. A government response would follow within 45 days of presentation, which puts any formal answer no earlier than mid-April ^[4].

Political pressure usually works faster than parliamentary procedure. Lewis has already put the buyout into the public debate ^[3], and a petition sponsored by an NDP MP gives that debate an official address ^[2]. Whether the Liberal government finds any reason to join in is the open question. No minister has spoken on it, and nobody has costed a buyout.

What to watch

The signature count is the first thing to watch. It shows 2,300 now, and the Clerk's validation after the close is what counts ^[2][4]. After that comes whether any MP stands up to present it. If one does, the government has 45 days to say what it thinks ^[4].