Just 18 days after Electronic Arts shut BioWare and canceled its next Mass Effect project, fans rallied on N7 Day to advocate for the #SaveMassEffect campaign.
The fans have signed a petition to save Mass Effect with more than 319,000 signatures. Voice actors including Jennifer Hale advocated for continued support in a video.
Fans also parked a billboard on a truck to save Mass Effect at EA’s headquarters in Redwood City, California.
BioWare’s Michael Gamble praised the passion, and global play sessions boosted concurrent player counts to signal demand for the franchise’s future.
N7 Day is the annual Mass Effect fan celebration held on November 7 (11/7). It’s a play on the franchise’s famous N7 designation, worn by Commander Shepard and other elite Systems Alliance soldiers.
In the Mass Effect universe, N7 is the highest special-forces proficiency rating in the Alliance military. The “N” denotes the special forces track, while “7” is the highest rank in that system.
N7 Day emerged as an official BioWare celebration in the early 2010s and became a recurring annual event where developers and fans celebrate the franchise together.