After EA's sudden shutdown of developer BioWare, upcoming crossover items themed around Mass Effect appear to have been removed from Battlefield 6.
When Battlefield 6's Season Five dropped earlier this month, many eager fans spotted that a collection of Mass Effect items had sneakily been added to the shooter's cosmetic menus, but were still unavailable to unlock or buy. The cosmetics included a little Normandy ship charm that dangled off weapons, some weapons that wouldn't look out of place in Mass Effect's sci-fi world and a few N7 tags. (Good spot, IGN!)
DICE has quietly removed all 'Mass Effect' cosmetics from #Battlefield6 after BioWare closure. Player card backgrounds, weapon skins, weapon charms, weapon stickers, sprays, soldier patches... everything. https://t.co/8KkjOm8nX2
With N7 Day right around the corner - slated for the 7th of November, as per usual - series fans reckoned the items would serve to celebrate the series' annual tradition and perhaps herald more news of Mass Effect 5. Those hopes were short-lived, sadly - developer BioWare is no more and the next Mass Effect game has been cancelled.
Following the shock closure, all Mass Effect items have seemingly been scrubbed from Battlefield 6's menus. Players spotted their absence in no time and shared the news online.
Battlefield 6's recent Dead Space crossover event already invited lots of divided opinions, with some players upset that the widely loved horror series is stuck in limbo while EA uses it to feed its live-service machine. Perhaps pulling a similar trick with Mass Effect - by celebrating N7 Day despite the series' uncertain future - would've simply poured salt onto a freshly opened wound. Although, the cosmetics were seemingly finished and ready to go.
In its announcement memo, EA said it was "making deliberate choices to align talent and investment where we see the greatest opportunities for players and long-term growth" - hence the decision to lay off 400 workers and cut BioWare entirely. The games industry has since mourned the loss of a beloved, long-standing role-playing institution.
A former BioWare dev recently claimed Mass Effect 5 would've borrowed from Baldur's Gate 3 and The Witcher to deliver unprecedented player choice. We'll never know for sure what BioWare would've cooked up, but a leaked trailer for Mass Effect Universe gives us a taste - a small, bittersweet, neon-drenched taste.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.eurogamer.net/mass-effect-battlefield-6-crossover-bioware-closure
