BioWare’s Saudi owners reportedly ordered a flag to be removed from Mass Effect 5 because it was ‘too similar to the LGBTQIA+ one’
BioWare’s Saudi backed owners reportedly objected to a flag in a pitch video for Mass Effect 5, saying it was “too similar” to an LGBTQIA+ flag. The account comes from a French BFMTV report and suggests managers wanted the flag removed to avoid offence, amid concerns about BioWare’s inclusive storytelling.
The report says the request concerned pitch material, not necessarily the game itself. Illustrator Kala Elizabeth said the game had no flags but included same sex romances, citing former BioWare developers. Mass Effect 5 was later cancelled, and BioWare has since shut down after 30 years; the article says EA is now privately owned by Saudi backed investors.
In short
- Owners reportedly asked BioWare to remove a flag from a pitch video.
- The report says the concern was avoiding offence over its resemblance to an LGBTQIA+ flag.
- The account concerns pitch material; the game was later cancelled.
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The case for
If the report is accurate, the owners could argue that a pitch video should avoid imagery likely to be mistaken for a political or identity symbol, particularly if it distracts from the project or risks alienating audiences in markets where LGBTQIA+ issues are contested. A request about presentation material would not by itself establish that the game’s content or its same sex romances were targeted.
The case against
Critics could argue that removing a flag because it resembles an LGBTQIA+ one signals pressure to minimise visible support for LGBTQIA+ people, even if the request concerned only a pitch video. In the context of reported concerns about inclusive storytelling, they may see the decision as part of a broader risk to creative independence and representation under new ownership.
Explained simply
BioWare was a Canadian video game studio best known for role-playing games such as the Mass Effect series, which lets players shape a science-fiction story through their choices. Mass Effect 5 was planned as a new instalment, and pitch material is used to present a game idea before it is made.
The reported objection came from managers linked to the studio’s Saudi-backed owners and concerned a flag in a pitch video. LGBTQIA+ flags are symbols of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and other communities; the report says the flag in question was considered too similar to one of them. The account concerns the pitch material and does not establish that the flag was intended for the game.
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