Mike Gamble, the executive producer on the “Mass Effect” game franchise, says the fifth title in the series is still very active.
The first teaser for the title was released five years ago in December 2020. Since then, there’s been next to no real updates beyond basic discussion about this being a continuation of the original trilogy rather than another ‘Andromeda’-style affair.
EA, which is saddled with $20 billion in debt, has downsized BioWare’s development team in recent years following the shipping of “Dragon Age: The Veilguard”.
More recently came concerns over EA’s impending sale to private investors, a group that includes Saudi Arabia’s PIF and Affinity Partners which is owned by Trump’s nephew Jared Kushner, and how such conservative ownership will impact games famous for the way characters can build romances with other characters regardless of gender.
Offering an update on the official site, Gamble aimed to dispel any talk of potential troubles:
“Like you, we’ve heard the rumors lately. You’ve made it clear you care deeply about what’s next. So let’s start by setting the record straight: the next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe.
The truth is, the last few years have been an incredibly busy time at BioWare. But currently, the team is heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect. We have a lot of universe to cover, lots of features to build, and lots of romances to figure out.
We’re excited by what we’re building, and we promise you: when we’re ready, it’ll be a lot of fun to show. Until then, thank you for your patience because y’all are thirsty for news and I see you looking for secret meaning in my tweets (okay, sometimes they have secret meaning).”
For now, it’s expected that the next “Mass Effect” won’t appear on the current generation of consoles.
