{"id":2102227,"date":"2026-08-20T08:30:56","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T05:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2102227"},"modified":"2026-08-20T08:30:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T05:30:56","slug":"i-dont-know-if-they-will-keep-funding-that-one-former-ea-manager-doesnt-believe-the-next-mass-effect-will-survive-saudi-takeover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2102227","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if they will keep funding that one&#8221; &#8211; Former EA manager doesn&#8217;t believe the next Mass Effect will survive Saudi takeover"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect-5\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Mass Effect 5<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">&#8220;I don&#8217;t know if they will keep funding that one&#8221; &#8211; Former EA manager doesn&#8217;t believe the next Mass Effect will survive Saudi takeover<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Kiss of geth.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/mass-effect-legendary-edition-photo-mode-detailed-1618564454815.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"mass-effect-legendary-edition-photo-mode-detailed-1618564454815.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"320\"><\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Sherif Saed avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"IMG_1950_Uy1XomJ.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"1638\" height=\"1346\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/sherif-saed\">Sherif Saed<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Senior Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\n<p>Published on   <time datetime=\"2026-08-20T08:30:56+00:00\" data-auto-time-zone=\"true\" data-year=\"numeric\" data-month=\"short\" data-day=\"numeric\" data-hour=\"numeric\" data-minute=\"numeric\">Aug. 20, 2026, 8:30 a.m.<\/time>\n              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/next-mass-effect-ea-bioware-saudi-ownership?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          14 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"09af4586-2703-4d1e-9936-44d0cc1485e1\" data-name=\"Mass Effect 5\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Mass Effect 5\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Mass Effect 5\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Mass Effect 5\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Mass Effect 5\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Mass Effect 5\" title=\"Follow Mass Effect 5\"><br \/>\n  Follow Mass Effect 5<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Inside and outside Electronic Arts, everyone is bracing for what&#8217;s sure to be a very different company now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-aquisition-55-complete-saudi-arabia-jared-kushner-private\">that it&#8217;s fully owned by Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Public Investment Fund<\/a>. But the fate of one game in particular may be more perilous than any other: the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect\">Mass Effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Are we actually getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/bioware-teases-mass-effect-5-title-plus-answers-to-trilogy-ending-questions\">the Mass Effect game EA and BioWare teased back in 2023<\/a>? One former high-ranking EA boss isn&#8217;t sure. Emmanuel Rosier, who spent nine years as a senior manager at EA, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/gaming-industry\/will-the-next-mass-effect-actually-release-under-eas-new-owners-ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-says-former-ea-manager-turned-newzoo-analyst\/\">PC Gamer<\/a> that the continued funding of BioWare is in question.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then in the middle you have these IPs like the BioWare IPs,&#8221; Rosier said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been struggling as a studio, as a brand have been struggling in recent years, and I don&#8217;t know if they will keep funding that one. I think that&#8217;s the biggest question mark for me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Custom header showing a blue Mass Effect character in the foreground, with EA logo and Saudi Arabia flag in the background.\" height=\"997\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(4)_hn7CZkQ.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7773319959879639\" width=\"1772\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Custom header showing a blue Mass Effect character in the foreground, with EA logo and Saudi Arabia flag in the background.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(4)_hn7CZkQ.png\" height=\"997\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7773319959879639\" width=\"1772\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked directly if EA would actually drop BioWare and cancel the game altogether, his answer wasn&#8217;t reassuring. &#8220;I will believe it when I see it, the next Mass Effect game, let&#8217;s put it that way,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rosier, who left EA in 2024, is now the director of market intelligence at industry analyst Newzoo, so he&#8217;s viewing things from a business perspective. Unfortunately, now that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-private-acquisition-deal-expected-to-go-smoothly-says-report-as-what-regulator-is-going-to-say-no-to-the-presidents-son-in-law\">EA has been saddled with $20bn in debt<\/a>, the publisher is expected to more aggressively leverage its biggest franchises, potentially leaving little room for single-player games or those that don&#8217;t have the earning potential of EA Sports FC Ultimate Team or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/apex-legends\">Apex Legends<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, even BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has doubts about the future of Mass Effect and the studio he once worked for under new EA management. Reacting to the initial announcement of the $55bn buyout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/biowares-future-under-ea-in-question-studio-veteran-warns-if-it-makes-the-kind-of-games-that-this-new-company-isnt-interested-in-making-anymore\">Darrah said EA might sell off studios that have struggled in the last few years<\/a>, haven&#8217;t been very profitable, haven&#8217;t shipped a game in a while, or make &#8220;the kind of games that this new company isn&#8217;t interested in making any more&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>We recently spoke to a number of industry experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-private-experts-financial-strain-cuts-politics\">to try and chart what the future of EA might look like under Saudi ownership<\/a>. Our piece touches on the different possible scenarios, including potential layoffs, game cancellations, and how the company&#8217;s culture will be affected as a result.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Inside and outside Electronic Arts, everyone is bracing for what&#8217;s sure to be a very different company now <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-aquisition-55-complete-saudi-arabia-jared-kushner-private\">that it&#8217;s fully owned by Saudi Arabia&#8217;s Public Investment Fund<\/a>. But the fate of one game in particular may be more perilous than any other: the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect\">Mass Effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Are we actually getting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/bioware-teases-mass-effect-5-title-plus-answers-to-trilogy-ending-questions\">the Mass Effect game EA and BioWare teased back in 2023<\/a>? One former high-ranking EA boss isn&#8217;t sure. Emmanuel Rosier, who spent nine years as a senior manager at EA, told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcgamer.com\/gaming-industry\/will-the-next-mass-effect-actually-release-under-eas-new-owners-ill-believe-it-when-i-see-it-says-former-ea-manager-turned-newzoo-analyst\/\">PC Gamer<\/a> that the continued funding of BioWare is in question.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Then in the middle you have these IPs like the BioWare IPs,&#8221; Rosier said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been struggling as a studio, as a brand have been struggling in recent years, and I don&#8217;t know if they will keep funding that one. I think that&#8217;s the biggest question mark for me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Custom header showing a blue Mass Effect character in the foreground, with EA logo and Saudi Arabia flag in the background.\" height=\"997\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/image-(4)_hn7CZkQ.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7773319959879639\" width=\"1772\"><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Custom header showing a blue Mass Effect character in the foreground, with EA logo and Saudi Arabia flag in the background.\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-lightbox data-uri=\"image-(4)_hn7CZkQ.png\" height=\"997\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1.7773319959879639\" width=\"1772\"><figcaption><span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked directly if EA would actually drop BioWare and cancel the game altogether, his answer wasn&#8217;t reassuring. &#8220;I will believe it when I see it, the next Mass Effect game, let&#8217;s put it that way,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>Rosier, who left EA in 2024, is now the director of market intelligence at industry analyst Newzoo, so he&#8217;s viewing things from a business perspective. Unfortunately, now that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-private-acquisition-deal-expected-to-go-smoothly-says-report-as-what-regulator-is-going-to-say-no-to-the-presidents-son-in-law\">EA has been saddled with $20bn in debt<\/a>, the publisher is expected to more aggressively leverage its biggest franchises, potentially leaving little room for single-player games or those that don&#8217;t have the earning potential of EA Sports FC Ultimate Team or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/apex-legends\">Apex Legends<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Indeed, even BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has doubts about the future of Mass Effect and the studio he once worked for under new EA management. Reacting to the initial announcement of the $55bn buyout, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/biowares-future-under-ea-in-question-studio-veteran-warns-if-it-makes-the-kind-of-games-that-this-new-company-isnt-interested-in-making-anymore\">Darrah said EA might sell off studios that have struggled in the last few years<\/a>, haven&#8217;t been very profitable, haven&#8217;t shipped a game in a while, or make &#8220;the kind of games that this new company isn&#8217;t interested in making any more&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>We recently spoke to a number of industry experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/ea-private-experts-financial-strain-cuts-politics\">to try and chart what the future of EA might look like under Saudi ownership<\/a>. Our piece touches on the different possible scenarios, including potential layoffs, game cancellations, and how the company&#8217;s culture will be affected as a result.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Mass Effect 5 &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if they will keep funding that one&#8221; &#8211; Former EA manager doesn&#8217;t believe the next Mass Effect will survive Saudi takeover Kiss of geth. News by Sherif Saed Senior Contributor Published on Aug. 20, 2026, 8:30 a.m. 14 comments Follow Mass Effect 5 Inside and outside Electronic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-2102227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2102227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102227\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2102227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2102227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2102227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}