On the back of the wonderful news that was the Mass Effect trilogy's well-deserved remaster, BioWare also gave an astounding announcement: Mass Effect would receive another entry in the series. This was welcome news for nearly every fan of Mass Effect, regardless of their opinion on Mass Effect: Andromeda. The announcement was given in the form of a teaser that gave very little information, except for little audio clips here and there over passing scenes of a certain beautiful galaxy, and the reveal of a character players know well.
As to what any of it really means, there's no way to know and BioWare hasn't been giving any further hints. As to what it might mean, there's no limit to the possibilities.
10 Hope Is True: Shepard's Return
Lieutenant Commander Shepard–a name that resounds across the Milky Way. A person presumed to be deceased, there are hints that Shepard may be returning to the games. In what capacity that will be, it's not very clear. It's so unclear that it's difficult to even say that Shepard won't be dead, perhaps more like a memory or maybe even a haunting of some sort (imagine Cortana's visions in Halo 3).
Regardless, it's a face that will be familiar to players and, to some, might even be a face they weren't ready to say goodbye to. Even if it's just a tribute, Shepard isn't a character that shouldn't be forgotten.
9 Hope Isn't True: Not A Ryder Or A Shepard
With the details of the new game so unclear, there was no indication of who the main protagonist will be. Players will almost certainly have the same customization freedom as the previous games, but as to who they will be customizing, it's uncertain. With the less-than-stellar reception that Mass Effect: Andromeda received, it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise if they decide to throw Pathfinder Ryder out of the spotlight.
However, the chances of players returning to the controls of Commander Shepard seem even less likely, considering how old Liara T'Soni looked in the teaser trailer for Mass Effect 4. If neither a Shepard nor a Ryder, then who?
8 Hope Is True: Shepard's and Liara's Reunion
With the teaser definitely confirming the return of Liara T'Soni, and the circulating rumors of Shepard's return, it's an exciting idea that these two (possible) flames may be reunited. If players chose to pursue Liara, then none were more in grief over Shepard's death than her.
Maybe there's closure to be had for those who chose the romance option; maybe there's a good buddy-buddy moment for those who didn't go down that road. Either way, characters reuniting after years and after one of them was presumably dead is bound to be a reunion worth a few cutscenes. If not, then perhaps the romance is all thrown out the window.
7 Hope Isn't True: Looking Back Too Much
Mass Effect is a game series that belongs in the classics realm, and mentioning it to players will often get a nostalgic smile. It's that good. However, like with any extremely successful series, there's always the shadow that gets cast and the one that future entries have to live in. Andromeda couldn't quite cut it, in quite a few players' eyes. Simply because of this, the developers might feel the pressure to "return to the feel of the old Mass Effect" and be tempted into remake territory.
Odds of this happening aren't really high, particularly since the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is due in 2021 and should satisfy the itch to remake something. Yet, it doesn't hurt to mention, throwbacks can be fun, but there's often little to be gained in looking too much on the past.
6 Hope Is True: A Galaxy Far Away
The beloved Milky Way was the stage of the first three Mass Effect games, whereas the aptly-named Mass Effect: Andromeda took players to the distant-but-actually-close Andromeda galaxy. None of the hate on Andromeda really had anything to do with the setting being in this galaxy, so a return to it wouldn't be unwelcome.
Still, the memories that were made in the Andromeda galaxy pale in comparison to those made in the Milky Way, and the teaser for the future Mass Effect 4 seems much more concerned with all that happened in the Milky Way. What would be a very interesting choice would be to have it take place in both galaxies. The scale might be overwhelming, but sometimes players can dream.
5 Hope Isn't True: Andromeda Who?
Just as there's the chance that players could find themselves in the Andromeda galaxy again, there's a chance that the lukewarm reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda might have the next game forget the neighboring galaxy altogether. Hopefully this isn't true. Whether or not players were huge fans of the events that took place in the Andromeda galaxy, if this game is to take place after or around those events, then they should be mentioned and remembered.
It'd be a shame for the new game to act as if Andromeda were too far away to consider. Then again, if the game takes place after Mass Effect 3, but before Andromeda, then there would be no need to mention it at all.
4 Hope Is True: Welcoming Back Veterans
Not quite a rumor, this bit of news is reality and it's exciting. Veterans from the Mass Effect series will be returning to the team for the new game, including Art Director Derek Watts, Producer Brenon Holmes, Creative Director Parrish Ley, and Narrative Designer Dusty Everman, which gives much more promise to info-starved fans on the new installment.
It falls in with what seems to be a forming trend of popular series welcoming back veteran developers for projects, just as 343 Industries announced with the delayed Halo Infinite. With players clamoring for some life to be breathed back into Mass Effect, this announcement is sure to add much to the speculation on all these hopeful rumors moving forward.
3 Hope Isn't True: Reinventing The Reapers
Whether or not the future game is to take place in the Milky Way or Andromeda galaxy, a step forward would most likely feature a new enemy. There's plenty of pressure from fans who hold the Mass Effect series close to their hearts to produce a game that gives them nostalgia, but also feels like a new game and a new story. It's a hard line to walk, and what may be tempting in that is the idea to return to past enemies and revamp them.
The new installment would perhaps be better served by a new threat to whatever galaxy it may be, one that knows of what's past and then poses an even larger threat. Regardless, whatever enemy they choose, they're bound to do it well.
2 Hope Is True: Just After 3
The end of Mass Effect 3 left fans with (depending on their ending) questions and a desire for more. Although the story may have felt finished to some, there was no ignoring the feeling that there was more to this world, to this galaxy than what had been given. Then, when the fourth installment came out, it was distanced from the trilogy that came before and so left many of those questions unanswered and much of that world still hidden.
Rumor has it, though, that Mass Effect 4 will take place after Mass Effect 3, and whatever that timeline may look like, this implies that the new game will be directly related to the third, and maybe fans will get some more answers.
1 Hope Isn't True: Overwriting Endings
One of the issues with having Mass Effect 4 take the events of Mass Effect 3 into account is the possibility that players will have their personalized endings overwritten for the sake of the story. For a series based so much on choices and decisions, this would be no less than a bummer for fans hoping for continuity. Of course, there's always the chance this won't be the path BioWare takes at all, and instead will take those player choices into account, akin to how The Witcher series moved players' story data from game to game.
Should the special endings of Mass Effect 3 be overwritten, then comes the question of what ending will they choose: one of the ones already written, or a completely new ending for the game?