In the field of Western RPGs, Mass Effect stands as one of the most acclaimed franchises. The hit series of space operas followed the daring Commander Shepherd as he fought to unite the galaxy against the mysterious, extragalactic threat of the “Reapers.” However, after the lukewarm reception to the last two games, the series has gone dark for the past decade.
Fortunately, hope is not lost. While gamers haven’t received a proper continuation, BioWare dropped several hints over the years that a new game was on the horizon. Furthermore, other ways exist for the franchise to live on. Here is a breakdown of the future of the Mass Effect franchise.
The State of the Mass Effect Franchise
In 2007, BioWare and EA released the space opera Mass Effect. The game was critically acclaimed for its nuanced take on aliens and intergalactic politics while successfully establishing a new sci-fi IP. Years later, the team followed up with Mass Effect 2. The game was praised as an amazing sequel and one of the greatest RPGs in science fiction.
Despite the success of the first two titles, the same couldn’t be said of the latter two mainline entries. Mass Effect 3, despite receiving generally good reception, was infamously panned by the fanbase for its weak ending. Five years later, BioWare released Andromeda, set in an entirely different galaxy. The game received mixed reviews, was substantially lower than other games in the series, and would be the last entry for nearly eight years and counting.
Furthermore, the franchise went quiet after Andromeda. While the series produced many books and comics as supplementary material, most expanded universe material has ceased recently. The latest entry from the saga was the Legendary Edition, which compiled the remastered trilogy. While impressive, it was not a new title.
The Upcoming Sequel
While nearly a decade has passed since the latest game’s release, BioWare confirmed this will not end the series. The developers made several huge announcements on N7 Day, the official Mass Effect holiday. BioWare released a thirty-second clip featuring a mysterious figure wearing a helmet and coat marching down a hallway. Otherwise, the cryptic video revealed no release date or other information regarding the sequel.
Even before the teaser, the game was confirmed years earlier. Andromeda demonstrated that the series is willing to go to vastly different places and settings. However, the game also created the most poorly received entry in the series. This, along with the familiar aesthetic featured in the teaser, strongly suggests that BioWare and EA will stick to the formula and tropes of the original games.
Possible Spinoffs
While the hope of a sequel may be distant at the time of writing, there are other ways that the Mass Effect series could keep the flame going. As stated above, the franchise has been quiet for the past few years. Mass Effect released the board game Priority: Hagalaz shortly ago, which recreates the games for a dynamic tabletop experience. Apart from the upcoming sequel, no other major projects are scheduled.
Consider Mass Effect’s sister series, the dark fantasy epic Dragon Age, for reference. A decade has passed since the release of Inquisition, but that has not stopped the franchise. Since 2014, the series has been kept alive through novels, spinoff games, and even the Netflix animated series Absolution. As such, the series was able to keep its fanbase alive long enough for the upcoming game Veilguard to arrive with fanfare.
During the trilogy, BioWare established an entire galaxy of lore, planets, and factions. Every major historical event, such as the Turian-Krogan War, could be turned into a novel or game. Given the game’s scale, one possibility could be an MMO, as shown through BioWare’s concurrent project, The Old Republic, built from their classic Star Wars RPG.
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