BioWare is retiring the Mass Effect Shepard statue after all WTFs

BioWare announced new merch for today mass effect Fans: a statue of Commander Shepard from the opening of Mass Effect 2, where, in case you need a reminder, they’re found dead and floating in space. The statue came with a slightly odd press release, and the combination of the two has resulted in many fans spending the day wondering if all is well at the BioWare Gear Store.

The statue, released as part of a series also including Kaidan, Thane and the Illusive Man, was touted as a “conversation starter” in a press release, describing it as follows: “Mass Effect Shepard’s Death Statue marks the dramatic beginning of Mass Effect 2.” Scene: Commander Shepard is driven from crumbling Normandy and hurtles through space to her untimely death.”

This is a… weird thing to capture in a statue, even weirder when it’s tilted like this and you’re looking at the sculpture:

To put it bluntly, nobody is furious at this. It’s just…weird! And so, many people thought that after a day of feedback, BioWare decided to remove not only the press release announcing the statue, but also the statue itself from their online store. In a statement released tonight, BioWare says:

Hello everyone,

Today we announced the sale of our newest Mass Effect Shepard statue. This statue was intended to be part of a series commemorating some of the most important and emotional moments in the series. The way we announced it didn’t reflect that properly, nor does it give the moment in the series the recognition it deserves.

Because of this, we will be putting the statue on hold until we can share the larger plan with you.

Thanks,

BioWare Gear Store

Thank you for joining us for this latest edition of Very Funny Business Problems You Never Saw Coming Until Today.