Bioware has revealed a (very small) new look at the next game in the Mass Effect series that the studio teased during its annual N7 Day celebration earlier this month. And it kind of looks like a sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda could be in the works, but the details are too scarce to tell at this point.
The studio released a few more pieces of concept art in an oral history book that came out today, November 17, called BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development. The 327-page book contains stories, pictures, and artwork from the company’s lifetime, all divided up by the games the studio was working on at the time. On the last two pages there’s these three pieces of art that were published on Tumblr earlier today, along with a caption and quote from Bioware’s Mike Gamble about the future of Mass Effect.
On the heels of a long-awaited remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy, Bioware now prepares its epic return to space. A veteran team is hard at work envisioning the next big Mass Effect game. Expect amazing new worlds to explore with memorable character buoyed by the series’ signature choices and consequences.
“There’s an incredible universe of history to draw from, and many more stories for us to tell, project director Mike Gamble says. “We’re focusing on creating something truly for the fans.”
Ultimately, there’s not a ton to go on here, but the second image definitely looks like Remnant technology, which was a major pillar of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s story and was hinted to be a plotpoint of a hypothetical sequel that game was clearly building up to. Gamble’s quote about creating something “truly for the fans” makes me both hesitant and hopeful that 2017’s spin-off might be getting the follow-up it deserves after its mixed reception, but I’ve seen fans try to make cases for a Mass Effect 4 that would canonize one of Mass Effect 3’s drastically different endings, so it makes me wonder what subset of the science fiction franchise’s fan base he’s referring to.
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From the sound of it, whatever’s next for the Mass Effect franchise is far away, as Bioware is not only working on it, but also a complete revamp of Anthem, and a fourth Dragon Age game, all three of which seem to still be a ways off. As of last November, Bioware was asking fans where they wanted to see the Mass Effect series go, which implies whatever is next hasn’t been in earnest development for very long, so it’s likely we won’t see Ryder or any other Mass Effect protagonist again until after Anthem is back and Dragon Age is finished.
While we stare at this concept art for the next few months, Bioware is also working on releasing the original Mass Effect trilogy on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One as Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which will launch in spring of next year.
