The original Mass Effect launched in November of 2007, and many still remember it as one of the best trilogies in gaming. However, the trilogy’s conclusion was more than a little controversial, and 2017’s Mass Effect Andromeda was a disappointment to many fans. Combined with BioWare’s other issues, some fans might have worried if the franchise might not survive.
Fortunately, it currently seems like Mass Effect will, in fact, continue. BioWare teased a new Mass Effect during the 2020 Game Awards and tweeted out a new poster for N7 day last November. Now, BioWare General Manager Gary McKay invites fans to take a closer look, saying the promotional image contains five clues about the future of the Mass Effect franchise.
The N7 Day Mass Effect teaser poster shows a starship landed near a crater, with four characters walking towards it. Said crater appears to have been created by the falling ring of a destroyed Mass Relay, the remains of which are just barely visible. The crater’s shape also looks suspiciously like the head and shoulders of one of Mass Effect’s robotic Geth. The four figures are different sizes, with the largest appearing to be a Krogan, one of Mass Effect’s burly reptilian aliens. Looking closely reveals another figure lying on the ground. While it’s hard to tell, they look like they could be either a Geth or Turian.
It’s unclear which of those details might be the clues McKay hinted at or if there are any fans may have missed. However, it seems clear that Geth will play an essential role in the Mass Effect 4’s story. This is interesting because the Geth may or may not still be alive depending on the player’s choices in Mass Effect 3. Furthermore, the importance of the Geth reinforces the idea that BioWare intends to pick a single canon ending for Mass Effect 3.
McKay’s comments about the poster came from a recent blog post discussing the state of BioWare and the Dragon Age and Mass Effect games in particular. He talks about the ongoing difficulties of operating a studio during a pandemic and BioWare’s steps to accommodate it. McKay also expressed that the studio was satisfied with the public’s reception of Mass Effect Legendary Edition last May.
He said very little about the new Mass Effect and Dragon Age games themselves. However, McKay emphasized that BioWare has a veteran team working on building Dragon Age 4 into “a single-player experience that is built on choices that matter.” That’s great to hear and should set some minds at ease. Unfortunately, though, McKay didn’t indicate when either game might release.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.
Source: Gary McKay
