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BioWare Was Asked to Remove LGBTQ Flag from Canceled Mass Effect Game, Report Says
A former BioWare employee says new management at Electronic Arts asked the team developing the cancelled Mass Effect Universe game to remove a flag from a presentation video because it looked too much like the LGBTQIA+ flag. The account adds to concerns among fans about the future of inclusive storytelling at BioWare following EA’s acquisition by investors.
The employee spoke anonymously to a journalist from French broadcaster BFM TV and said management had been unconvinced by the team’s video proposals. The interview did not identify who asked for the flag to be removed, or say whether developers followed the request. The article notes that Mass Effect and other EA series have featured same-sex relationships, and says the acquisition has unsettled LGBTQ rights advocates.
In short
- A former employee says management asked for a flag to be removed from a video.
- The flag was said to look too much like the LGBTQIA+ flag.
- The interview did not say who made the request or whether it was followed.
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The case for
If management asked for the flag to be removed because it resembled an LGBTQIA+ flag, that could signal a retreat from visible inclusion and reasonably unsettle staff and fans who value representation in a series with LGBTQ characters and relationships. Even without knowing whether the request was followed, the account raises a legitimate question about whether commercial or leadership pressures may narrow the space for inclusive storytelling.
The case against
The report is based on one former employee speaking anonymously, and it does not identify who made the request or establish its rationale beyond the flag’s appearance. A request to change an image in a presentation could have been about avoiding ambiguity or meeting a creative brief, and by itself does not show that the company intends to remove LGBTQ representation from its games.
Explained simply
Mass Effect is a science-fiction game series made by BioWare, a studio owned by Electronic Arts (EA). Its stories follow human and alien characters in a shared fictional universe, and players can form relationships with some characters.
The series has included same-sex relationships, making representation in its stories a subject of interest to LGBTQ rights advocates and fans. EA’s ownership and management decisions can affect which projects BioWare develops and how its games are made.
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