NDP leader Avi Lewis calls for government-backed staff buyout of BioWare after EA closure

Avi Lewis, leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, called for federal support to help BioWare staff buy and run the Edmonton studio. The call follows EA's closure of BioWare as part of roughly 400 job cuts, about 3% of its workforce. Lewis tied the closure to EA's ownership by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners. He has not specified how federal support or a staff purchase would be structured or funded.

Lewis wrote that BioWare's developers "know how to run the studio" and "know how to make the games we all love."
He said they should get "the first opportunity - and the federal support - to buy it and run it themselves."
He gave no detail on how that federal support would work or how employees would finance a purchase.
EA has not commented on whether it would sell the studio or its IP to staff.

EA went private earlier this year after a $55 billion buyout led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Affinity Partners.
PIF holds a 93% stake in EA.
Lewis said of private equity: "Buy up businesses, run them into the ground, and rip them apart for short-term profit."
EA confirmed early development on the next Mass Effect ended, with investment shifting to sports titles, Apex Legends, Battlefield and Star Wars and Iron Man games.

Eleanor Olszewski, Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre, called BioWare's closure "disappointing" and praised the studio's 31 years in the city.
She said the government "will be there to work with partners to support home grown talent" in Edmonton.
She did not respond to the buyout idea or commit to any specific support for BioWare.

For Publishers & Developers: Recruit displaced senior Canadian RPG developers before any staff-led buyout vehicle regroups them.
For Investors & VC: Add host-country political backlash risk to diligence on sovereign-backed publishers cutting foreign studios.