Final Chapter Of ‘Mass Effect’ Studio BioWare To Be Told In Super Channel Feature Doc From Fennessey Films and Score G Productions

EXCLUSIVE: The final days of legendary video games studio BioWare will be told in a doc from Shane Fennessey and Adam Scorgie for Canada‘s Super Channel.

Massive Effect: The BioWare Story will document how the Edmonton, Canada-based games company grew from being founded in 1995 by three medical doctors – Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip – to selling 100 million copies of its role-playing games, which include Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate.

Written and directed by Akash Sherman (Clara) and co-produced by Canada’s Fennessey Films and Score G Productions, the film has a unique insight into the story, with filming beginning two years before Electronic Arts announced the closure of BioWare on October 21 last month and continuing to lens throughout.

This allowed the filmmakers to capture BioWare’s finale chapter, as the news of the studio’s closure reverberated through the gaming industry. EA decided to shutter studio, which was known for its complex narratives and world building, after recent releases underperformed, and 400 jobs were cut.

Muzyka, Zeschuk and Yip will feature in the film, along with a plethora of major players from the video game world. These include Douglas Reilly, Vice President of Lucasfilm Games; John Riccitiello, former CEO of Electronic Arts; Casey Hudson, game director of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect; Geoff Keighley, creator of The Game Awards; Victor Lucas, creator of The Electric Playground; voice actor Jennifer Hale; and longtime BioWare developers Mark Darrah, David Gaider, Drew Karpyshyn, Aaryn Flynn, Mac Walters, Trent Oster, James Ohlen and Caroline Livingstone.

“When the production team asked for our blessing to tell the BioWare story, we were honored and deeply moved,” said BioWare co-founders Muzyka and Zeschuk in a statement. “BioWare was never just about the logo or the building. It was about the stories brought to life by the amazing people on our dev teams, and the fans who defended those worlds, championed them and carried them forward. We’re proud this film honors those who made it all possible. The best stories never really end. They live on in our memories and wait for someone to pick them up again.”

A website has also been set up for the BioWare community to share photos, videos and how the company touched their lives for the chance to appear in the film. “BioWare’s fans have been part of its journey since the very first game,” said Scorgie. “It’s only right that they help us tell the rest of the story.”

“The BioWare founders are my hometown heroes,” added writer and director Sherman. “It’s a privilege and responsibility to share the journey of underdogs who came together to create deeply beloved storytelling. Their golden era kindled a spark in me and in an entire generation. With the studio’s recent closure, the film is now a profound valediction.”

Canada’s Super Channel commissioned the doc, which is being planned for a major film festival run and a world premiere next year. Jhod Cardinal of Upstream Flix is handling worldwide sales. The Canada Media Fund supported production.

“We are thrilled to bring Massive Effect: The BioWare Story to Canadian audiences,” said Kim Ball, EVP Content & Communications for Super Channel. “As an Edmonton-based company, we’re especially proud to celebrate BioWare’s extraordinary hometown story and the people, creativity and groundbreaking storytelling behind some of the most beloved games of a generation.”

Producers Fennessey Films and Score G are behind the likes of Funny Money: The Dane Cook Story, Dolph: Unbreakable, Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo, Breaking Olympia, Singhs in the Ring and The Great Ones.