Published Oct 23, 2026, 12:08 AM EDT
David is a Senior Editor at Collider focused primarily on Lists. His professional journey began in the mid-2010s as a Marketing specialist before embarking on his writing career in the 2020s. At Collider, David started as a Senior Writer in late 2022 and has been a Senior Editor since mid-2023. He is in charge of ideating compelling and engaging List articles by working closely with writers, both Senior and Junior, as well as other editors. Occasionally, David also reviews movies and TV shows and writes episode recaps. Currently, David is also writing his second novel, a psychological horror satire that will, hopefully, be picked up for publication sometime next year.
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The news that many gaming fans had been anticipating for years finally became official on October 21: BioWare is shutting down as part of a series of layoffs at EA. The studio behind some of the 21st century's biggest titles, including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, will be closing its gates after over 30 years. Many will mourn this loss, while many others will perhaps celebrate it, considering the decline in quality the studio experienced over the last decade. However, it's undeniable that the news is a harsh blow for the industry.
The news also confirms that the announced fifth Mass Effect game is officially cancelled. Although it might seem disappointing, it's not particularly surprising either. Moreover, and unlike some of BioWare's other banner franchises, Mass Effect had a pretty perfect ending with Mass Effect 3, the 2012 sci-fi masterpiece that brought Commander Shepard's story to a satisfying close. The game's prologue has long been one of its most celebrated aspects, and it has aged beautifully. However, after the news of BioWare's fate, the prologue becomes all the more bittersweet and powerful.
What Is 'Mass Effect 3' About?
Image via BioWareMass Effect 3 continues the story of Commander Shepard (Mark Meer/Jennifer Hale) as they gather a party of allies new and old to fight the Reapers, an ancient race of organic starships that launch extinction-level events every 50,000 years, eradicating all life. After plans for an ancient Prothean weapon are discovered, a last coalition of alien races unites to build it, with Shepard traveling the Milky Way to resolve long-standing conflicts and gather as many allies as possible to aid in the last battle against the Reapers.
Many familiar characters return from the previous games, most of whom can be recruited as Shepard's companions aboard the Normandy. Similarly, long-standing conflicts, some of which were first introduced all the way back in the first game, finally reach a long-awaited resolution, including the Krogan genophage and the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians. The game ultimately leads to a confrontation at the Citadel, where Shepard confronts a childlike AI and the original creator of the Reapers. The now-iconic ending is highly dependent on the choices made throughout the trilogy.
What Happens in the 'Mass Effect 3' Prologue?
Image via BioWareMass Effect 3 is well remembered because of its iconic, 25-minute prologue sequence. In it, Shepard awakens on Earth and reunites with old friends, including Admiral Anderson (Keith Davis) and either Kaidan Alenko (Raphael Sbarge) or Ashley Williams (Kimberly Brooks), depending on who survives the effects of the original game. The Prologue is very much a tutorial level, and it's a perfectly constructed one at that. However, on a storytelling level, it's perhaps one of the most important and harrowing in the history of modern sci-fi.
See, the Reapers are invading Earth fast, and so the prologue soon becomes a survival mission. Like most reality-shattering events in real life, the invasion happens quickly and without warning; suddenly, reality shatters, and the world as we know it changes forever. At several points throughout the level, you meet a scared child attempting to survive. Eventually, after you battle hordes of husks, Cannibals, and even a Harvester, you'll make your way to an open space where you'll be rescued by the Normandy. Shepard and Anderson say their goodbyes, as the latter decides to remain on Earth to prepare the defenses against the Reapers, while the former needs to go on a mission to save the entire galaxy.
As the Normandy leaves, Shepard's sees the boy again aboard an evacuation ship. Then, the ship is targeted by the laser of a Destroyer, effectively a Reaper, and it explodes, killing everyone on board. That's right, the scared little boy dies right as he's being evacuated, while Shepard can do nothing but watch in horror. The haunting score plays as one final shot of the Earth completely overtaken by the Reapers appears before the title card drops.
Why Is the 'Mass Effect 3' Prologue Even More Powerful Now?
Image via BioWareIn most alien invasion stories, the plot centers on the efforts to either stop the invasion altogether or fight against it; in any case, Earth is always the center of the story. In Mass Effect 3, Earth is the first planet lost to the invaders. There is no way to stop them, much less repel them, and all Shepard can do is literally run away to fight the good fight elsewhere, hoping that there will still be enough of Earth to rescue once the weapon to fight the Reapers is finally ready. That approach is already bold and refreshing, subverting our expectations and adding a sense of urgency and dread to the entire narrative.
On a deeper level, surrendering Earth to the Reapers is such a powerful way to get us emotionally invested in the narrative. Sure, if we've played the two previous games, we already have a connection to Shepard and their companions; however, having Earth be overrun by the Reapers also makes us instinctively connected to the game's stakes. Killing the boy also makes us experience a sense of profound loss: the innocent are always the ones who suffer the most in any conflict, and seeing this desperate child who fought against so many obstacles to stay alive, only to die when the promise of safety was about to be fulfilled, is a true emotional gut-punch.
Following the news of the studio's closure, the prologue has received yet another layer of complexity. For years, it seemed like BioWare could cheat the death that so many had been predicting for it. For years, it did, until it didn't. Now, all that's left of BioWare is ruins and the fond memories that its best titles brought to an entire generation of gamers. In a way, BioWare lost the invasion against its metaphorical Reapers. Many of its most loyal fans will feel like Shepard, moving on to grander things while the ruins of what once was burn under the scorching fire. Many others might feel like the child, having their hopes for future titles shattered in a matter of seconds.
Yet, it's important to remember there's always something to look forward to. In the game, Shepard eventually defeats the Reapers; Earth endures and survives, because of course it does, and a new dawn begins for everyone. It's the same in real life, albeit far less dramatically. Mass Effect 3's prologue is devastating, and from now on, experiencing it will undoubtedly provoke mixed feelings in all those who once felt something for BioWare. But there's always hope. Perhaps these IPs will find their way back to the public if someone purchases them from EA. Perhaps we haven't seen the last of Mass Effect or Dragon Age. We can only hope and wait — luckily, waiting is what gamers do best.
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