MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Irrational founder Ken Levine says users calling for a revised Mass Effect 3 ending saddens him because they’d be left disappointed”.
The BioShock creator was talking at the opening of a new US exhibit The Art of Video Games, reports The Verge.
"I think this is an important moment," he said. "I think if those people got what they wanted and wrote their [own] ending they would be very disappointed in the emotional feeling they got, because they didn’t really create it.
I think this whole thing is making me a little bit sad because I don’t think anyone would get what they wanted if that happened.”
His comments come after frustrated Mass Effect 3 fans organised a protest to change the game’s ending. The Retake Mass Effect campaign has raised tens of thousands of pounds for the Child’s Play charity, in a bid to encourage developer BioWare to alter the ending.
Paul Barnett, senior creative director at BioWare Mythic, added: "If computer games are art then I fully endorse the author of the artwork to have a statement about what they believe should happen. Just as J.K. Rowling can end her books and say that is the end of Harry Potter, I don’t think she should be forced to make another one."
Some customers have even reportedly returned their copies of Mass Effect 3 to retailers such as Amazon for a refund, claiming they are unsatisfied with the product due to its ending.
An Amazon customer service rep told Giant Bomb: Once you open the package and if you are not satisfied you can return it for refund. It applies for the all the items shipped and sold by Amazon.”
Publisher EA’s Origin store also offers a 14-day money back guarantee for physical products, meaning customers can return Mass Effect 3 if they’re not happy with it. Those who purchased downloadable versions of the game can’t receive a refund.
Mass Effect 3 sold over 900,000 copies worldwide within its first 24 hours on sale. EA shipped 3.5m units at release.
