Mass Effect Sequel Could Connect Andromeda To The Main Series

The next Mass Effect game, revealed during the main show at yesterday’s Game Awards, could connect to both the beloved original trilogy and the maligned spin-off Mass Effect: Andromeda. The sequel was revealed with a cinematic trailer that developer BioWare said was meant to set the tone for the next game, but gave few hints about what the game would actually entail.

After months of speculation, BioWare finally confirmed the existence of both a new Mass Effect game and the remastered Mass Effect Legendary Edition in November. While no firm release date has been set, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is expected to launch early next year. The next game in the series is considerably further off, with BioWare saying that it’s in the early stages of development with no release date in sight. Aside from the trailer revealed at The Game Awards, all fans have to go on so far is concept art that appeared in a recent BioWare coffee table book.

Now, Mass Effect developer Michael Gamble is dropping hints that the new game could bridge the more and less popular sides of the franchise. In a series of replies to former BioWare writer Joanna Berry on Twitter, Gamble pointed out a few instances in the recent trailer that directly reference Mass Effect: Andromeda. According to Gamble, a voice saying “Godspeed” in the trailer is an intentional reference to a scene in Andromeda, and shots of two galaxies are also meant to recall the two galaxies that the series has explored so far. Gamble goes as far as saying “we show both [galaxies] for a reason.”

What that reason is exactly is still unknown, but the most obvious possibility would be that the next Mass Effect game will connect the main series to Mass Effect: Andromeda in some way. The latest release in the Mass Effect universe, Andromeda had a famously troubled development cycle that led to what most fans and critics saw as a lackluster game. Many of the game’s most glaring flaws were ironed out in post-launch patches, and Andromeda certainly has its fans, but it’s still nowhere near as fondly remembered as Mass Effect games led by Commander Shepard.

Mass Effect: Andromeda may have a chance to redeem itself in some way if Gamble’s hints do in fact point to a continuation for the spin-off. Whatever the connection between Andromeda and the yet-unnamed Mass Effect sequel years, players likely have several years until they’re able to discover it. Until then, series fans can relive its best moments in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and it may even be time to go back and see if Mass Effect: Andromeda was actually better than its reputation.

Source: Michael Gamble