The 2020 U.S. election has finally ended and Trump didn’t win. It’s incredibly good news. Do you know what’s also good news? Maybe even better? That’s right. Mass Effect Legendary Edition — one of the least effectively kept secrets of the industry — was finally revealed.
The announcement was made earlier today in celebration of N7 Day. Every year on November 7, Mass Effect fans across the world like to come together to celebrate the…legendary…series. (It’s a good day for me, obviously). BioWare happily participates in this celebration, and this year, the studio has graced fans with this news.
“We’ve heard (for years!) your requests for a Mass Effect remaster, so we’re super happy to finally reveal that we’ve been working on a remastered edition of the Mass Effect trilogy,” writes Casey Hudson, studio general manager of BioWare. So, just to be clear: the remaster will not contain 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda.
It is also crucially going to be a remaster rather than a remake. “For many months now, our team at BioWare has been hard at work updating the textures, shaders, models, effects, and technical features of three enormous games,” continues Hudson. “Our goal was not to remake or reimagine the original games, but to modernize the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form.”
“It’s been amazing to see the adventures of Commander Shepard take on new life in super-sharp resolution, faster framerates, and beautiful visual enhancements,” he says. “As game developers, we always hope that our games will transcend their original platforms. Having the opportunity to remaster the trilogy means that the fruits of a decade of our work will live on, and will be experienced better and clearer than ever before.”
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will “single-player base content and DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, plus promo weapons, armors, and packs – all remastered and optimized for 4k Ultra HD.” The wording of this statement seems to imply that Mass Effect 3′s multiplayer mode will not be included in this remaster. However, more information will come in the new year, so we’ll eventually know for certain.
You May Also Like:
- Bioware Writer Reveals the Truth for the Most Unsubtle Line in Mass Effect
- Mass Effect Discourse Has a Chance to Start Over, But Will It?
- The Suicide Mission Was the Best and Worst Thing to Happen to Mass Effect
It won’t take long for that, as Mass Effect Legendary Edition is planned to be released in Spring 2021 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Forward compatibility and targeted enhancements for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will also come.
Your choices. Your squad. Your Shepard. Relive the legend in a remastered edition of the highly acclaimed trilogy. Mass Effect Legendary Edition arrives Spring 2021.https://t.co/jLUj8FUGaI pic.twitter.com/vxTKyq4LQ1
— BioWare (@bioware) November 7, 2020
But that’s not all. Hudson confirms the longtime rumors that a new Mass Effect game is currently in development. It’s in its early stages, so nothing more can be said just yet, but it’s being developed by a veteran team.
“For me personally, Mass Effect represents years of work and countless special memories, so every year I feel incredibly fortunate to celebrate N7 Day with players around the world,” Hudson writes. “Thank you so much for supporting us over the years. I can’t wait to continue our adventure together – revisiting our favorite memories in the Mass Effect universe, and creating brand new ones!”
(Also, yes, reader: I did cry. I should go. And by “go,” I mean I will go read fanfiction about Garrus Vakarian, who is still the best man in the universe, and Shepard. Happy N7 day to all.)
