Mass Effect may never release under EA's new owners — former manager explains why

The largest leveraged buyout in private equity history has closed: EA is now owned by a consortium consisting of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners. As part of the deal, the company took on $20 billion in debt. Employees are bracing for the worst, and industry analysts are questioning what this means for the publisher's future.

Emmanuel Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo and a former senior manager at EA who spent nine years at the company, shared his thoughts with PC Gamer. "I think everything is open at this point," Rosier said. He expects sports titles to remain EA's primary focus, particularly European football, given the importance of the sport in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. "You see a lot of synergies in that context," he noted. He also predicted a stronger push into esports, which is highly popular in the same regions.

The uncertainty, Rosier explained, surrounds EA's second- and third-tier intellectual properties. The company has a number of dormant franchises that have not been used for years, including Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Dead Space, Titanfall, and Mirror's Edge. When asked directly whether the next Mass Effect game would actually release under the new ownership, Rosier replied: "I'll believe it when I see it." He expressed doubt that the game would see the light of day in its current form, arguing that EA will likely rely on proven formulas rather than take risks with non-core franchises.

Rosier also raised the possibility that the consortium might sell off parts of EA's portfolio to reduce the debt burden. "With that level of debt, they could decide to divest some assets," he said, adding that secondary IPs could be the first to go. This would further jeopardize the future of beloved but long-dormant series like Mass Effect, which fans have been eagerly awaiting a new installment of since the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda in 2017.