After EA sale, ex Bioware director discusses who could buy the Mass Effect titan

Bioware is on my Mt. Rushmore of game developers. Honestly, if it had made Dragon Age: Origins and nothing else, it would probably still be carved into the proverbial cliff face of game development greats. But it didn't just make the best RPG of all time, it also made Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, and Baldur's Gate. While its recent games have missed more than they've hit, Bioware fans are hopeful for the future, including Mass Effect 5. However, the recent sale of EA for $55 billion puts that future in jeopardy. Former Bioware project director Mark Darrah believes there is hope for the studio if EA was to sell it.

Darrah put out a YouTube video discussing the private buyout, and spent some time answering questions in the comments section. One viewer asked who he thought would be interested in buying Bioware, were EA to put the studio up for sale.

Darrah, as an industry veteran, doesn't have any particular insight into the inner workings of EA, nor the conglomerate of businesses that have bought it, but he does have aeons of experience. He suggests that "Microsoft, maybe Sony," would be interested in purchasing the Mass Effect developer. He also suggests that Amazon and Disney could also be potential buyers, but caveats that with a big "MAYBE," in all caps.

Thinking about it logically, his suggestions make a lot of sense. Microsoft currently has a lot of partnerships with EA, including embracing EA Play as a part of some Game Pass subscriptions (although whether that will continue remains to be seen). However, it is still reeling from the Activision-King buyout, which resulted in anti-monopoly lawsuits and layoffs at numerous studios.

Sony has a penchant for great single-player games and, while it leans towards more linear affairs, both Dragon Age and Mass Effect could add a flagship traditional RPG to its roster of exclusives. The dark horse is Amazon, which is currently producing the Mass Effect TV show, and could be interested in adding the videogame to its currently struggling roster.

Whoever buys Bioware, or if the newly-private EA keeps it in-house, I just want it to return to the golden age of RPGs. None of the live-service elements, none of the simplistic decisions. With EA's commitment to its microtransaction-laden monetization model, I fear for the studio most if it remains under its ownership. A sale could go some way to clearing the $20 billion of debt the PIF, Affinity Partners, and Silver Lake have undertaken with the buyout, and it could allow Bioware to make the games that fans want to play again.

If you're looking forward to Mass Effect 5, but can't wait until 2050 to play it, try out something from our list of the best space games instead. You can also while away the years taking a guess at how many Bioware titles appear on our rundown of the best PC games (spoiler: it's not enough).

What do you want to see from the next Bioware game? Let us know in our community Discord server, where staff and readers discuss their canon playthroughs. Oh, and the latest gaming news.