Two veteran developers are testing spreadsheets to rescue Mass Effect and Dragon Age following BioWare’s closure. The rescue of these two major RPG franchises currently plays out within an Excel spreadsheet.
Trent Oster is studying revival scenarios for BioWare’s historical franchises. The BioWare co-founder and current Beamdog CEO, a property of Embracer Group, has spent one to two weeks multiplying messages evoking a future for Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The Beamdog CEO spent a recent Saturday testing scenarios in an Excel spreadsheet, reaching revision thirty. He used the hashtags #SaveMassEffect and #SaveDragonAge on X to share his progress.
Ohlen served as creative director and lead designer on Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins. His involvement remains entirely informal at this stage. Ohlen brings a direct link to the origins of these RPGs to these exchanges. Video Games Chronicle reported on November 10, 2026, that Oster is exploring multiple paths for the intellectual properties. No formal development project or publishing agreement has been announced.
What are you doing this Saturday? I'm huddled in front of a computer running scenarios in Excel. I just passed rev 30. #SaveMassEffect #SaveDragonAge
Electronic Arts shuttered BioWare in mid-October. That shutdown eliminated 400 jobs and canceled an unreleased Mass Effect game in active development. Fans responded with a petition gathering nearly 180,000 signatures under the banner #SaveMassEffect. Oster’s spreadsheet calculations follow that public mobilization, though a direct causal link remains unestablished.
Mike Darrah previously suggested that Electronic Arts might sell off its dormant intellectual properties. The former BioWare executive producer views a sale of Mass Effect and Dragon Age as entirely possible. Oster’s financial models could eventually form the basis of a formal pitch. However, any actual revival requires negotiating rights directly with Electronic Arts and securing substantial production funding.
Of course! A chance to work on Dragon Age again is a dream of mine.
Gathering former developers does not grant legal ownership of the software franchises. Those properties remain under the control of Electronic Arts, meaning any commercial exploitation depends entirely on acquiring proper rights. Oster has acknowledged that obtaining those authorizations is an essential first step. For now, the effort involves old collaborators discussing possibilities rather than producing new code.
Oster has specifically mentioned his reflections around the #SaveMassEffect and #SaveDragonAge campaigns, as well as the possibility of discussing with Canadian political officials. That shows a willingness to seek an outcome, but no successful negotiation has been made public.
Whether those talks will yield a concrete business proposal to Electronic Arts is still unknown. In the meantime, neither Mass Effect nor Dragon Age benefits from a new project officially confirmed within the framework of this initiative.
