Potential Mass Effect 5 composer releases music sample after BioWare shutdown

With more than 240k signatures and counting on the #SaveMassEffect petition, it seems that condolences over the loss of BioWare are never-ending.

But with a leaked trailer for Mass Effect 5 also making the rounds to showcase what could've been, Grammy award-winning composer, Austin Wintory, has shared the soundtrack he pitched to the studio.

Wintory is best known for scoring the games Flow and Journey, and just this year he won a Grammy in the category 'best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media' for his work on Sword of the Sea.

On his YouTube channel, Wintory uploaded 22 minutes of original music for the game that may never come to fruition, and he expressed his disappointment, as well as his love for the franchise, in the description of the video.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

"Working on Mass Effect 5 was my career's biggest dream project, my white whale," Wintory began. "It is my favourite franchise of all time, and for the last couple years I'd been in serious conversations with BioWare and EA to jump in."

"My suggestion was to treat the original game's masterful Jack Wall / Sam Hulick score as a starting point, and to build on it from there with deeper use of physical, analog synths and a more tightly interwoven use of the orchestra.

"As part of the ongoing dialogue, I decided last year (2025) to surprise the folks with an elaborate production: nearly 20 minutes of music, fully recorded and produced with synths, vocals and a large orchestra here in LA."

However, it seems like the rest of us, Wintory had little knowledge about Mass Effect 5 (which was recently revealed to be titled Mass Effect Universe).

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.

"I'd not yet learned any narrative details of what they were planning so this was just pure musical exploration," he stated.

"Receiving the news alongside everyone else that EA had decided to not only cancel the project but shutdown BioWare entirely was a deeply felt loss. It's been hard to see dear friends lose their jobs, and this beloved franchise seemingly vanish forever.

"Thank you nonetheless to everyone at BioWare and EA's music department for gifting me the chance to dream in your sandbox. It was a privilege to do even that much."

Mass Effect 5’s potential soundtrack seems to have only twisted the knife further for many fans, with many leaving comments expressing their disappointment.

And, with the #SaveMassEffect petition only increasing in numbers, it seems that pressure is only increasing on EA to fix the mess they started.

Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.