Saving Mass Effect 5 would cost over $200 million, BioWare co-founder says

BioWare co-founder Trent Oster says reviving Mass Effect would likely require more than $200 million in development funding, because fans would expect a top-tier AAA game. His estimate highlights the financial challenge facing the #SaveMassEffect campaign, which is asking EA to fund more games or sell or license the franchise.

Oster based the rough figure on comparable games and said a larger plan would be needed to make the investment viable. He added that an experienced team using a disciplined approach might make a good game for less. The campaign has gathered more than 300,000 Change.org signatures, but EA has given little indication it would sell the rights.