BioWare recently confirmed that it is not yet done making Mass Effect games. The sci-fi RPG franchise first grabbed players’ imaginations way back in 2007 with Mass Effect, a title that took players into space in the distant future, where a highly advanced race of aliens, known as Reapers, were threatening the Milky Way galaxy. Players took on the role of Commander Shepard aboard the SSV Normandy for an adventure that launched two more games in the series, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.

A fourth game arrived in 2017, Mass Effect: Andromeda. That title started a new story with players traveling to the Andromeda Galaxy, away from the events of the first three games. The release of the title was so botched, with game-breaking bugs and glitchy animations, that BioWare apologized to players and eventually referred to it as a “deeply flawed game.” At the time, it seemed that the Mass Effect franchise would end with Andromeda, although fans still wanted to see a return to the kind of gameplay they fell in love with in the first three titles.

Last year, on N7 Day, a day when Mass Effect fans celebrate their favorite game series, BioWare teased “the next great Mass Effect game.” Most fans took those words lightly, though, because that’s about all they had even heard about a continuation of the franchise. However, in an interview with Polygon, BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah stated that the company is not done with Mass Effect just yet.

BioWare general manager Casey Hudson agreed:

“We’re definitely not done with Mass Effect. There’s a lot of stories to be told. We could pull on the threads we put down with Andromeda; we could pull on threads from Mass Effect 3. There’s a lot of interesting space to be explored.”

At the moment, though, BioWare’s focus is on Anthem, the studio’s ambitious MMORPG that releases this month. The title has been in development since 2012, meaning that BioWare had very little time during those years to focus on much of anything else. At the 2018 Game Awards, though, BioWare announced that it was working on a new installment in the Dragon Age franchise. Between that and its ongoing support for Anthem, it’s not likely that fans will get an official announcement about a new Mass Effect game soon.

“In my mind, it’s very much alive. I’m thinking all the time about things that I think will be great. It’s just a matter of getting back to it as soon as we can.”

Fortunately, Anthem’s success or failure won’t affect future projects. That’s good news for those fans that still want another Mass Effect game and gives BioWare an opportunity to fix the problems it had with Mass Effect: Andromeda. So take the studio’s words for what they are: A new Mass Effect is coming, but it probably won’t be here for a long time.

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Source: Polygon