BioWare had a problem in 2012.
The studio was wrapping up one of the most ambitious trilogies in gaming history, and the pressure was... well, let’s just say it was "galactic." But among the debates about the "Starchild" and red-blue-green endings, one specific casting choice became a permanent lightning rod for fan frustration.
I’m talking about Diana Allers. Or, more accurately, I'm talking about the Jessica Chobot Mass Effect crossover that almost nobody asked for.
If you weren’t there for the original launch, it’s hard to describe the specific brand of "cringe" this created. It wasn’t just that a real-life media personality was in the game. It was the way she was in the game. Even today, if you load up the Legendary Edition, Diana Allers stands out like a sore thumb in the cargo hold of the Normandy.
The Conflict of Interest That Cracked the Fourth Wall
Basically, Jessica Chobot was the face of IGN’s video content at the time. She was the one licking a PSP (google it, actually don't) and hosting Daily Fix. Then, suddenly, she’s an "embedded reporter" on Shepard’s ship.
The optics were terrible.
You had the biggest gaming news outlet in the world featuring one of its primary stars as a romanceable character in the biggest game of the year. It felt like a back-scratching deal that made everyone uncomfortable. Fans immediately worried about how IGN could objectively review a game that literally featured their own employee.
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It broke the immersion. You’re trying to save the galaxy from sentient machine-gods, and suddenly you’re talking to a 21st-century internet celebrity in a dress that looks more like a cocktail party outfit than war-zone attire.
Why Fans Still Mourn Emily Wong
This is the part that honestly still makes me a little salty.
Before the Jessica Chobot Mass Effect inclusion, we already had a reporter we loved: Emily Wong. We’d known her since the first game. She was the scrappy, dedicated journalist on the Citadel who helped us expose Saren.
Instead of bringing Emily onto the Normandy—a move that would have made perfect narrative sense—BioWare decided to kill her off. And they didn't even do it in the game. They did it on Twitter.
While BioWare was promoting the "Battlespace" segments with Chobot, Emily Wong was literally live-tweeting her own death as she rammed a skycar into a Reaper on Earth. It felt disrespectful to the lore. We traded a deep, established character for a marketing gimmick.
The "Uncanny Valley" and That Voice Acting
Let’s be real about the technical side for a second. The character model for Diana Allers was... rough.
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BioWare used a face scan of Chobot, but something went sideways in the oven. In a game filled with expressive characters like Garrus and Liara, Diana looked like a plastic mannequin with a mild nut allergy. Her movements were stiff, and her eyes always seemed to be looking about three inches to the left of where Shepard was standing.
Then there was the performance.
Jessica Chobot is a great host. She’s charismatic on camera. But voice acting is a completely different beast. Compared to the heavy hitters in that booth—Jennifer Hale, Mark Meer, Seth Green—Chobot sounded flat.
Every time she said "CommanDUR," a thousand fans winced. It sounded like she was reading a teleprompter, which, to be fair, is what her real-life job was. But in the middle of a desperate war for survival, it sucked the gravity out of every scene.
The Romance: A Secret Fling With Zero Consequences
If you actually decided to romance Diana Allers, the game treated it as a "fling." It didn't even give you the Paramour achievement.
The whole "romance" basically consists of:
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- Letting her on the ship.
- Doing a couple of interviews.
- Telling her you want to "get personal" in your cabin.
- A fade-to-black scene that feels weirdly transactional.
The weirdest part? You could do this while being in a committed relationship with someone else. Most of the crew wouldn't even mention it. Only Liara (being the Shadow Broker and all) would give you a disappointed comment about it, but even she didn't break up with you.
It didn't add to the story. It felt like "Battle Tits," a meme that unfortunately defined that era of BioWare’s design philosophy where they thought players just wanted more "sexy" distractions regardless of the plot.
Actionable Insights: How to Handle Allers in 2026
If you're playing through the Mass Effect Legendary Edition now, you have a few ways to handle this historical oddity:
- The "War Assets" Route: If you want the best ending (the "high EMS" ending), you actually should invite her on the ship. Her interviews provide War Assets that help boost your military strength. Just keep the conversation professional.
- The "Lore Purist" Route: Honestly, just tell her "no" at the Citadel docks. You lose a few points, but the atmosphere on the Normandy feels much more cohesive without a 2012 IGN cameo hanging out in the cargo bay.
- The "GamerPoop" Route: If you're a fan of the old YouTube parodies (Manslayer, specifically), having her on board is essential for the "We'll bang, okay?" memes.
The legacy of the Jessica Chobot Mass Effect role is a reminder of a very specific time in gaming history. A time of "booth babes," aggressive cross-promotion, and a desperate desire for games to be seen as "mainstream" by involving celebrities.
BioWare learned their lesson, mostly. By the time Andromeda and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf (now The Veilguard) rolled around, they leaned back into original characters.
The lesson for developers? Don't kill off a fan-favorite character just to make room for a PR move. Your players have long memories. And they’ll never forget the way you pronounced "Commander."
Check your War Assets terminal regularly after her interviews; those points for the Alliance Fleet might actually be the only thing she's good for in the long run.