Mass Effect devs halt sales on “terrible” Commander Shepard figure amid backlash

Developer BioWare has halted sales for a new Mass Effect Commander Shepard statue after it received major backlash online from fans for depicting a heartbreaking scene from the opening moments of Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect developer BioWare just released a new line of statues and merchandise for their beloved RPG series. The new content includes many iconic faces from the Normandy crew, with the likes of Kaidan, Thane, and more all being immortalized in a new collection.

However, as first reported by Kotaku, one particular aspect of the new memorabilia had fans shaking their heads. The statute in question depicts Femshep, female Commander Shepard, and her death at the beginning of Mass Effect 2. 

While this moment is an iconic part of the series, fans were confused as to why BioWare chose to create a statue commemorating what is a tragic moment in the series.

Great call. That was a TERRIBLE figure.

— Rigamarole (@Rigamarole_) June 12, 2023

In light of this, the BioWare Gear Store was quick to remove the statue from sale, posting an apology on Twitter while also hinting at the future in regards to new Mass Effect merchandise.

“Hi all, earlier today, we announced the sale of our latest Mass Effect Shepard statue. This statue was intended to be part of a series, commemorating some of the key and most emotional moments in the series. 

The way we announced it did not convey that properly, nor does it give the moment in the series the credit it deserves. As a result, we’ll be pausing sales on the statue until we can share the larger plan with you.”

BioWare takes down Commander Shepard statue and issues apology

Bioware then added “If you were able to secure a pre-order for this, we will unfortunately need to cancel this until the proper launch” and that “the store will automatically refund your card.”

While it is unclear what this “larger plan” is, rumors and hints at the new Mass Effect game bringing back Commander Shepard have been circulating around the internet lately. This statue could have been a bigger tease at this theory. However, nothing has been confirmed at the time of writing.

For all the latest Mass Effect news and updates, be sure to check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.