This is probably the saddest N7 Day ever. Instead of looking forward to potential new information about Mass Effect, as they usually do, fans must now fight for the series’ survival.
Two weeks ago, the final demise of the legendary development studio BioWare was officially announced. What made fans particularly sad was that it wasn’t just the end of a beloved studio. On top of that, it also spells the end for many cherished game series—first and foremost Mass Effect, whose fifth installment was actually still in the middle of development.
This bitter truth is, of course, especially painful on November 7. That’s because the day has been an official Mass Effect holiday for fans for several years now. Bioware itself has also enjoyed using “N7 Day” in the past to celebrate the series or even drop hints about future installments.
This year, of course, things have been largely quiet on the official front. But fans aren’t just using the holiday to mourn the lost series! There’s still a large online movement called “Save Mass Effect.” On N7 Day, this movement received a powerful boost once again, as the real-life crew of the Normandy addressed all fans in a video message:
~(Reddit)~
Save Mass Effect!
The video features many of the English voice actors you heard in the Mass Effect games. Many of them were part of your crew and fought alongside you to save the entire galaxy. Here’s a list of the people who are now also campaigning to save the game series:
- Jennifer Hale – Female Shepard
- Mark Meer – Male Shepard
- Ash Sroka – Tali
- Keythe Farley – Thane
- Kimberly Brooks – Ashley
- Steve Blum – Grunt
- William Salyers – Mordin
- D. C. Douglas – Legion
- Courtney Tayler – Jack
- Brandon Keener – Garrus
- Alix Wilton Regan – Samantha Traynor
- Raphael Sbarge – Kaidan
On top of that, there were also appearances by key figures who weren’t part of your crew—but who nonetheless played a significant role in the gaming experience.
- Peter Jessop – Sovereign
- Sam Hulick – Composer
Mass Effect Isn’t Being Abandoned
In addition to the voice actors, many other people in the industry—and, of course, many fans—took the opportunity to express their love for Mass Effect. Among them, for example, was Owlcat Games, which is currently developing *The Expanse*—a game that could definitely pique the interest of *Mass Effect* fans:
~(X)~
Casey Hudson, a longtime BioWare developer and one of the creators of Mass Effect, also spoke out on N7 Day and expressed optimism that Mass Effect won’t simply disappear forever.
Furthermore, the Save Mass Effect movement is using many different ways to draw attention to itself. The project repeatedly takes over billboards and other advertising spaces, to draw attention to its massive petition. As a result, they’ve already collected 316,961 signatures from people who don’t want to give up on Mass Effect.
N7 Day is also celebrated on Steam, by the way. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition was played more on that holiday than at any other time since its release. Over 10,000 fans decided to slip back into their N7 armor and travel through space aboard the Normandy. Of course, it’s anyone’s guess how successful the movement will be and whether EA will actually decide to develop a new Mass Effect at some point.
