Mass Effect Prices Skyrocket Following BioWare Closure
You have to think that BioWare and Mass Effect will be stuck in the news cycle for a while now. On Wednesday, it was announced that EA had shuttered the historic studio following its acquisition by a Saudi Arabia-led…
You have to think that BioWare and Mass Effect will be stuck in the news cycle for a while now. On Wednesday, it was announced that EA had shuttered the historic studio following its acquisition by a Saudi Arabia-led consortium, and the backlash was fierce. Universe, the name of the next Mass Effect title, was canned, and while the TV show lives on, the situation has left fans hurt and disappointed.
A trailer for the canceled Mass Effect leaked yesterday, if you want to put yourself through that pain.
With people mourning the studio, some have taken it upon themselves to take advantage, and at least one BioWare title has seen its price skyrocket in the wake of the news.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition Has Doubled In Price Over The Last Few Days
Mass Effect Legendary Edition wasn't a particularly rare game. It had a wide physical release on both Xbox One and PlayStation 4 when it launched in May 2021. Its price, particularly on PS4, has ballooned since the news that BioWare was shutting down.
Earlier this year, used copies of the game were selling for $19.99 and sealed copies for as low as $45. That is certainly not the case any longer. Since the news of BioWare's closure, sealed copies of the game are regularly selling for $100+. One seller has sold three used copies of the game today for $100. We've not seen FOMO like this since Piglet's Big Game.
The Xbox version, which is available via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, remains unaffected, as does most of BioWare's back catalog.
The rise in scalping, and people trying to make a pretty penny off others' misfortune, needs to be studied. While it's always been there, things have ramped up over the last few years. Pokemon is a prime target: the TCG is a mess, and people are stooping as low as scalping Pokemon Pop-Tarts. We've also seen Kingdom Hearts pins, Wolverine claws, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, and vinyls suffer similar fates over the last few months.