It has been claimed that the next Mass Effect game will be scaled down, with BioWare doing away with the open-world formula that provided one of the nails in the coffin for Mass Effect Andromeda back in 2017. This will be a return to form for the franchise, which went silent in 2012 following the release of Mass Effect 3, the final game in a trilogy that was, for the most part, semi-linear in nature.
Mass Effect As We Know It
Mass Effect is one of BioWare’s most popular creations ever, and despite 2017’s Andromeda being a complete flop, the original trilogy still has a solid and strong following today, ten years after it was last seen. It’s a classic franchise that still has legs, but despite releasing a teaser trailer in 2020, BioWare hasn’t shared anything further regarding the next game in the series.
It’s an exciting enough prospect, though. With the recent success of Starfield, I’m personally quite hungry to scoff up as much sci-fi, space-faring action as I can get my hands on. In the teaser trailer above, there are references to the original series – Liara making an appearance, for instance. There’s a defeated Reaper in plain sight, and Liara locates a reference to an N7 plate from a piece of armour that’s almost a direct reference to the infamous Commander Shepard.
Speaking on a recent podcast, insider Jez Cordon stated that he’d heard a ‘rumour’ referring to BioWare dropping the open-world model from Mass Effect Andromeda. He can be heard talking about this below:
It’s important to stress that this is an uncorroborated rumour and, as such, it should be taken with a pinch of salt – you know the drill. However, given the failings of Andromeda and the rampant success of the original Mass Effect trilogy, it does seem like an obvious step for BioWare to revert to what originally worked so well.
Related: Dreadwolf’s Delays Are Impacting The Next Mass Effect
In the gargantuan expanse of Starfield, perhaps a more linear, guided adventure in Mass Effect is something we all need.
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