Mass Effect cancelled for Star Wars

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reports that EA cancelled Mass Effect 5 to work on Star Wars: Battlefront 3. Schreier says Star Wars: Battlefront 3 hasn't begun development, yet the publisher still chose it over Mass Effect. The developer is debt-ridden, and this mitigates financial risk.

Given that EA originally acquired BioWare for the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, the news is bittersweet. For decades, EA has been criticised for how it manages the studios it acquires, but this isn't unique. EA is no longer the company that Trip Hawkins founded in 1982.

While the Star Wars deal was the catalyst, Schreier also points out other factors that led to BioWare's demise. The studio's most recent game, Dragon Age: Veilguard, fell 50% short of sales expectations. Before that, 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda was poorly received despite excellent combat, with future DLC cancelled, and 2019’s Anthem was considered a live service failure.

However, Mass Effect fans (myself included) are not giving up on the beloved sci-fi franchise.

The #SaveMassEffect movement has gained momentum online, and fans are planning a massive play event and billboards on N7 Day 2026! Even if this doesn't move the dial, I'm proud to be part of a positive gaming community.

What are your plans for N7 Day? Let me know in the comments below.

O Captain, My Captain: Sir Patrick Stewart dies

This week, Star Trek fans (myself included) mourned the loss of two legends of the final frontier. Walter Koenig, who played Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series, and Sir Patrick Stewart, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The beloved actors were aged 90 and 86, respectively.

Stewart's family took to social media to announce his death following a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.

His spokesperson, Kelly Bush Novak, said in a post on Instagram: “He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all.

“We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace,” the post continued.

All good things.

Stewart's love of drama came at school when one of his teachers introduced him to Shakespeare and encouraged him to perform.

I've long admired Stewart since seeing Excalibur with my late mum and always take great pleasure in doing impressions of that unmistakable baritone voice. And there's a family connection. A late relative was friends with Stewart. A few years ago, we arranged to meet up for a pub lunch, but the pandemic happened.

Make it so.

As I've written before, Star Trek: Picard's third and final season was a poignant send-off for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Series showrunner Terry Matalas (VisionQuest) understood the assignment and gave fans one of the greatest Star Trek seasons of all time.

This December, Marvel fans (myself included) can see Stewart's final performance in Avengers: Doomsday, where he reprises Professor Charles Xavier opposite Sir Ian McKellen's Magneto.

Marvel Studios posted a tribute on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after the announcement of his death, saying: “All of us at Marvel Studios are deeply saddened by the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart. Sir Patrick brought Professor Charles Xavier to life with extraordinary grace, intelligence, and humanity, defining the character for generations of fans, from X-Men to Logan to Avengers: Doomsday.

“He was a singular talent, a generous collaborator, and a true gentleman. Our hearts go out to his wife Sunny, his children, his friends, and the countless fans around the world whose lives he touched with his art.”

Tea, Earl Grey, hot!

Farewell, Mon Capitaine.

60th anniversary soundtrack on Doctor Who Day

Silva Screen Records bring the 2023 score to digital and CD from 23rd November, with original music from Murray Gold.

The Doctor Who 60th anniversary consisted of three special episodes - The Star Beast, Wild Blue Yonder, and The Giggle - that aired between 25th November and 9th December, 2023. To celebrate Doctor Who Day 2026, Silva Screen Records are proud to be releasing Murray Gold's exceptional scores to the three special episodes.

Gold reunited with returning showrunner Russell T Davies after stepping away following the 2017 Christmas special, bringing back his signature grand orchestral style. The score seamlessly blended nostalgic Series 4 vibes with unexpected melodic throwbacks, including the strategic reuse of the Eleventh Doctor's theme when Donna regained her memories. Gold also delivered fresh arrangements for the updated opening title sequence and broader Whoniverse soundscape.

As Gold says: "On this album is a record of all the music that went into that transitioning series between the return of Doctor Who with David Tennant and Catherine Tate in 2023 up to the first season of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor which began on Christmas Day the same year.

"It’s a pretty exhaustive volume.”

Disc 1: The Star Beast

01 Once Upon a Time Lord
02 Doctor Who Theme (60th Anniversary Specials)
03 Strolling in the City
04 Spaceship in Trouble
05 Hitching a Ride
06 Crash Site
07 Aliens Everywhere
08 Solar Psychedelia
09 Dangerous Memories
10 A Meep in My Shed
11 Here We Go Again
12 Invasion Calling
13 Wrarth and Disorder
14 Silence in Court
15 To Hell with This
16 A Vessel to the Stars
17 Impending Launch
18 Countdown to Catastrophe
19 Why Does It Have to Be This?
20 Donna is Descending
21 Binary Awakening
22 Just Like the Old Days
23 We Are Back (Trailer)

Disc 2: Wild Blue Yonder

01 The TARDIS Doesn’t Fall Far from the Tree
02 The Mavity of the Situation
03 Time to Rebuild
04 I Will Get You Home
05 Hostile Action
06 Circuits Moving
07 A Very Long Corridor
08 The Edge of the Universe
09 No Signs of Life
10 The Only Thing I’ve Got
11 My Arms Are Too Long
12 All or No-Thing
13 Memories and Mass
14 Doppelgänger Dilemma
15 I Saw Your Mind
16 Imposters
17 A Pinch of Protection
18 A Ship Full of Questions
19 They Need the Answers
20 Very Slow Countdown
21 When Time Runs Out
22 The Wrong Donna
23 The Devil’s in the Details

Disc 3: The Giggle

01 What a Wonderful Game
02 Streets of Anarchy
03 UNIT Tower
04 Everyone’s Going Mad
05 Zeedex Deactivated
06 Decoding the Signal
07 Laughing at the Human Race
08 The Puppeteer
09 UNIT Negotiations
10 Hide and Seek
11 What Am I Now?
12 The Celestial Toyroom
13 Donna and the Dolls
14 Toymaker’s Theatre
15 Rules of the Game
16 Battleground Declared
17 The Time Lord and the Toymaker
18 Bi-Generation
19 Catch Me If You Can
20 The One Adventure You’ve Never Had
21 Next Stop, Everywhere
22 Never Been Happier
23 Doctor Who Theme (End Credits) (60th Anniversary Specials)

The collection will be released as three digital albums on 23rd November, and the triple-disc set will be released on 27th November.

Pre-order Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials Soundtrack at Amazon (affiliate link).

How are you celebrating Doctor Who Day? Let me know in the comments below.

Channel 4 on Disney+

On Tuesday, Channel 4 and The Walt Disney Company announced a streaming partnership on Disney+.

Channel 4, like rival public-service broadcasters, is battling a tough advertising market and declining audiences for its linear ⁠channels. It said last month it would cut about 340 jobs, representing more than a ⁠quarter of its workforce.

Priya Dogra, Chief Executive, Channel 4, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Disney+ to give audiences even more ways to discover and enjoy Channel 4’s brilliant shows. Channel 4 is home to some of the UK and Ireland’s most talked about and trusted programming, and this new service will help those shows reach viewers in new places. This exciting step shows how collaboration between broadcasters and streamers can create more choice and value for audiences.”

Disney+ already shares content with ITVX, which may be affected by Sky (owned by Comcast) buying ITV's television and streaming assets for £1.6 billion.

Adam Smith, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said: “Local broadcaster partnerships are very important as we build our content libraries and serve fans around the world. Channel 4 has created shows with strong appeal to audiences in the UK and Ireland, and we’re excited to bring some of those favourites to Disney+. This agreement is the latest example of our global strategy, pairing high-quality local programming and cultural relevance with a complementary audience and more personalised streaming experience on Disney+.”

From early 2027, Disney+ subscribers will be able to watch Channel 4’s linear HD channel, plus hundreds of hours of its acclaimed scripted and unscripted content through its on-demand catalogue, from Big Mood and Tip Toe to 24 Hours in A&E, directly on Disney+ at no extra cost. There's no news on whether or not this will be ad-free on standard (which I subscribe to) or premium tiers.

What are your thoughts on Channel 4 on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Tomb Raider 30th anniversary teaser trailer

An official teaser trailer dropped for Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a reimagining of the original Tomb Raider video game.



Read the official synopsis:

"Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a stunning reimagining of the 1996 genre-defining game.

As Lara Croft, harness your wits and athleticism to explore exotic locations lost to time—from the jungles of Peru to the ancient ruins of Greece, the deserts of Egypt, and a mysterious Mediterranean island shrouded in myth. Traverse treacherous landscapes, solve deadly contraptions, and face lethal predators as you hunt for the scattered pieces of the Scion, an artefact of immeasurable power.

Whether you're a veteran raider or new to Lara's world, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis delivers jaw-dropping visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, modern game design, and new surprises, while honouring the spirit and atmosphere of Lara Croft's debut adventure."

While the original Tomb Raider was first released on the Sega Saturn 30 years ago, the action-adventure video game franchise became synonymous with PlayStation.

I've been a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise since the original PlayStation, and the reboot Survivor trilogy was amazing. Alix Wilton Regan replaces Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft. Mass Effect fans (myself included) will recognise her as the voice of Samantha Traynor.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will release on PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC on 12th February 2027. Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a sequel to Tomb Raider: Underworld, is arriving sometime in 2027.

Pre-order Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis at Amazon (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis? What are your memories of playing Tomb Raider? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars: Starfighter outspends The Force Awakens

Forbes reports that Star Wars: Starfighter cost more to produce than Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

In summary:

"Disney revealed that its upcoming sci-fi film *Star Wars: Starfighter* cost $226.5 million to make by the time filming finished at Pinewood Studios. Set five years after *The Rise of Skywalker*, the movie stars Ryan Gosling, Flynn Gray, Amy Adams, Matt Smith, and Mia Goth, with Shawn Levy directing. Financial statements from the production company, Blue Mist Productions, covered spending up to January 31. The U.K. government's Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit provided a $51.5 million refund, reducing net spending to $175 million. Filming also took place in Sardinia, Italy, to maximize funding benefits. Additional visual effects work in London could increase future refunds and costs before the scheduled release in late May next year."

Star Wars: Starfighter is due to release on 28th May 2027, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of George Lucas' space opera.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Starfighter? Let me know in the comments below.

Mass Effect: Universe trailer leaked

After news of BioWare's closure and the cancellation of Mass Effect 5 broke on Wednesday, an employee leaked a trailer, made by a small team with pre-production assets.

It features a new N7 protagonist and fan-favourite Liara T'Soni, set sometime after the original Mass Effect trilogy. Are they searching for Commander Shepard? The trailer ends on the game's title: Mass Effect: Universe.

Bloomberg's Jason Schreier confirmed the trailer is genuine. I watched it on YouTube, and the game is evidently further developed than officially suggested; after all, it was announced in 2020. As the trailer keeps getting removed, I won't link to it here. You should find it easily with a quick search.

As I've mentioned previously, Mass Effect 5 could still be saved with stewardship from a developer that nurtures character-driven role-playing games. EA has massive debt, is cutting 400 jobs, and should sell BioWare's IPs.

Have you watched the Mass Effect: Universe trailer? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

BioWare closes, but there's hope for Mass Effect

On Wednesday, EA announced the closure of BioWare, the award-winning studio behind Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect.

I belatedly discovered the Mass Effect franchise after winning an XBOX 360 S in 2012. BioWare's stellar space opera drew inspiration from Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and Star Wars. Mass Effect 2 is the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back of video games - a hill I'm prepared to die on.

Behind the shiny space-age sheen, the original Mass Effect trilogy was, at its core, a tale of found family in the darkest of times. Jennifer Hale will always be Commander Shepard. Joker, played by Seth Green, was the first video game character I could identify with as a paraplegic...

Read the official statement from BioWare:

"For more than 30 years, BioWare has been more than a studio. It has been a home for storytellers, developers, and the players who brought our worlds to life.

Baldur’s Gate. Neverwinter Nights. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Dragon Age. Mass Effect. Anthem.

Now, after more than three decades of shared adventures, BioWare is closing and early development on the next Mass Effect project is ending.

There is nothing easy about writing those words. Our focus right now is on our incredibly talented team who put their hearts into these games, and supporting one another through this transition.

What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember. These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with the characters, and made these worlds your own.

From all of us at BioWare, thank you for being the most meaningful part of our story."

My thoughts are with all those affected.

EA has massive debt and should sell the Dragon Age, Jade Empire and Mass Effect IPs to a studio like Larian Studios or CD Projekt Red. Mass Effect 5 could still be saved with stewardship from a developer that nurtures character-driven role-playing games. Multiple sources suggest that Respawn and DICE studios will collaborate on a future project: Star Wars: Battlefront III for Lucasfilm Games.

While development of Mass Effect 5 may have ended, hope remains for the beloved sci-fi franchise. According to IGN, Prime Video is proceeding with a live-action series following the success of Fallout. The series has been in development since 2024.

What are your favourite BioWare video games? Let me know in the comments below.

The Lord of the Rings by BBC Radio

The 1981 audio adaptations of Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings were a childhood gateway to a lifelong love of radio dramatisation, culminating in my work with Sir Christopher Lee on director Dirk Maggs' The Gemini Apes broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Christmas Day in 1998.

Demon Music Group has announced a limited edition box set of The Lord of the Rings featuring stunning artwork.

“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them; One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.“

Presenting ‘The Lord of the Rings’, a limited edition deluxe 14CD box set (limited to 4000 worldwide) of the original 1981 BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, released for the first time in its original 26-episode broadcast format. Over 13 hours of newly-mastered audio drama in superb stereo sound with every tense cliffhanger (and stirring theme music reprise) intact, plus a standalone disc of the series’ celebrated soundtrack by the renowned composer Stephen Oliver.

The contents are presented across 14CDs in deluxe 7” sized box set packaging. Each set is individually numbered and features beautiful original artwork, re-imagining the landscape of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.

Starring Ian Holm (Alien, The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit, Chariots of Fire) as Frodo, Michael Hordern (Barry Lyndon, Gandhi, Paddington) as Gandalf, John Le Mesurier (Dad’s Army) as Bilbo, Bill Nighy (Love Actually) as Sam, and Robert Stephens (Romeo and Juliet) as Aragorn, alongside Gerard Murphy (Batman Begins), Peter Vaughan (Game of Thrones), Simon Cadell (Watership Down) and Michael Graham Cox (The Stone Tape) this acclaimed 1981 full-cast production was dramatised by Brian Sibley and Michael Bakewell.

A 12-Page booklet, featuring behind the scenes cast photos and a note about the making of the series by dramatist Brian Sibley, is also included along with full cast and credits for every episode.

Also available as a numbered and limited edition 14LP vinyl box set.

Pre-order The Lord of the Rings at Amazon (affiliate link).

Have you listened to the BBC Radio full-cast dramatisation of The Lord of the Rings? Let me know in the comments below.

From fan art to Star Wars: Paul Shipper

I befriended Star Wars and Marvel artist par excellence and fellow Steven Spielberg and George Lucas fan Paul Shipper on social media a long time ago. He has always made time for fellow fans, and I once recommended a Buzz Lightyear toy from Mattel Creations (formerly Matty Collector). Hope you've still got it, Paul!

Shipper has been profiled by the BBC. Here is an extract:

Among the projects he has worked on are posters and artwork for blockbuster titles including Avengers: Infinity War, Doctor Strange, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Skeleton Crew.

The illustrator said becoming a movie poster artist had originally seemed a long way off, before the early days of the internet helped his work find an audience.

“It was just through kind of sheer dumb luck really and the internet that it happened,” he said.

“Before you know it, there are people who see it who are connected with the movies and then all of a sudden you get asked if you’re interested in working on a Steven Spielberg movie or something like that.”

Shipper described himself as “a Spielberg and George Lucas kid”, saying franchises such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones were the films that first inspired him to become an illustrator.

For Shipper, the appeal of poster art lies in being able to tell a story with a single image.

“You’re trying to distill something within one image,” he said.

“It is kind of like a trailer... there are posters that tell you too much, so there is a fine line.”

What are your favourite posters by Paul Shipper? Let me know in the comments below.