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Mass Effect Cast Celebrate N7 Day With Video Saying Save the Franchise

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Mass Effect Cast Celebrate N7 Day With Video Saying Save the Franchise

Without BioWare, N7 Day is quieter this year, but that didn’t stop the Normandy cast and crew from teaming up for a video message asking fans to help save Mass Effect.

EA shuttered BioWare, canceled Mass Effect 5, and put the gaming side of the franchise on an indefinite hold just weeks before the series’ annual November 7 holiday, leaving players just as hurt as they were confused. There’s not really any official festivities to enjoy this year, but the developers and actors behind the stories and characters fans love still made sure to get together for a special video message.

Organized by the unofficial group known as We are Mass Effect, the two-minute video message features appearances from composer Sam Hulick, Jennifer Hale (Commander Shepard/FemShep), Ash Sroka (Tali’Zorah), Keythe Farley (Thane), Kimberly Brooks (Ashley), Mark Meer (Commander Shepard/MaleShep), Steve Blum (Urdnot Grunt), Brandon Keener (Garrus), and many more. One by one, they each call to “Save Mass Effect” in the wake of BioWare’s closure, marking what is only the latest shot to garner attention and, hopefully, give the franchise a shot in the arm.

“It started feeling like Shepard recruiting the squad in Mass Effect 2!” We are Mass Effect’s Mer told IGN when describing the process to make the video. “We were bringing people on board one by one, and Mark was a huge help in making that happen! It almost felt like we were gathering War Assets. And the most surprising thing is that with every video we received, the actors would thank us.

“We’d get messages saying, ‘Thank you for doing this,’ or ‘Thank you for your work.’ We were the ones who felt incredibly grateful to them for taking the time to participate, but they kept turning around and thanking us. That really touched me. Everyone involved, from the people who made these games to the people who brought their characters to life, cares deeply about this universe.”

We are Mass Effect and other Mass Effect fans have been busy the last few weeks. After footage and details for the canceled Mass Effect: Universe appeared online just days after EA brought the franchise to a halt, a petition has launched and gained more than 310,000 signatures. A Canadian politician also started a government petition to save BioWare just last week.

As some have called to boycott EA, others have taken their fight straight to the publisher’s front door. We are Mass Effect has been a big part of that initiative, with its first and most notable move arriving when it launched a #SaveMassEffect billboard in Times Square. Yesterday, the group drove a mobile billboard around EA headquarters in Redwood City, California. More billboards are live today, including one posted up around the former BioWare offices in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with another set to appear around The Game Awards next month. Former project director and executive producer Michael Gamble also sent a message to fans for N7 Day.

“We’re still holding on to that hope and fighting for the future of Mass Effect, BioWare, and the people who have dedicated so much of themselves to bringing this universe to life,” Mer added. “N7 Day is a reminder of what these games mean to all of us, but also of the people behind them. The impact they’ve had on this community will never been forgotten, and we will continue celebrating it for as long as we can.”

Meanwhile, as the Mass Effect cast and fans on the ground do their best to celebrate N7 Day, other developers have chimed in to share their love for the series on its saddest holiday so far. Owlcat Games, the team behind the upcoming Mass Effect-inspired RPG The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, shared a video celebrating what BioWare and its work over the decades means to them.

“Everybody in Owlcat dreamt about playing Mass Effect 5,” studio creative director Alexander Mishulin said. “It’s very, very selfish, but we wanted to experience the next chapter in those adventures. Our hearts and minds are with [BioWare], and we really hope they find themselves a new home, different studios that will allow them to make even more worlds, even more experiences, more adventures that we will be amazed at. That will be new beacons for new generations of game developers.

“It will be not Mass Effect, but it will be something else, and something beautiful.”

BioWare’s final years were captured on video and will soon be shared in a new documentary. For more, you can check out IGN’s interview with one modder who has rebuilt Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer. You can also read about how AI is impacting the modding scene.

Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).

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