For fans of the Mass Effect franchise, today is N7 Day, a holiday of sorts celebrating the beloved franchise. N7 is the military rank protagonist and player-character Commander Shepard carries within the Human Alliance Military in the Mass Effect universe. While N7 Days usually consist of sales on cool merch and amazing art from fans, this N7 Day came with not one, but two major announcements: the long-rumored Mass Effect Trilogy Remaster is indeed happening and that another entry in the Mass Effect franchise is currently in development by BioWare.
Fans have wanted another Mass Effect game since the conclusion of the original trilogy in 2012 (2013 for its final “Citadel” DLC) and then again after the somewhat disappointing release of Mass Effect Andromeda in 2017.
Today, Casey Hudson, who directed the first three Mass Effect games and is now the Vice President and General Manager of BioWare, formally announced Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Hudson in the post on the official BioWare blog goes on to explain that BioWare has been working for “months” to update the “textures, shaders, models, effects and technical features of three enormous games” for the Mass Effect trilogy. The game will also include all DLC and will feature “targeted enhancements” for the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.
Perhaps more excitingly to Mass Effect fans, Hudson confirmed that a “veteran team” has been “hard at work envisioning the next chapter of the Mass Effect universe.” Details are scarce otherwise, as Hudson says that the team are in the “early stages on the project,” likely meaning some form of pre-production. Hudson does not clarify who is a part of the “veteran team,” other than himself, who was the director of Mass Effects 1-3, while Mass Effect Andromeda was done by another team at BioWare Montreal.
Many cite the issues some had with Andromeda as being a side effect of “veterans” like Hudson not being around for the project, and those who were in-charge making poor management decisions which led to the franchise being “put on ice” for a few years. So the director of the first three beloved games being able to cherry pick a team to start work on the next Mass Effect game should be incredibly exciting news for fans of the franchise.
These two game announcements are not the only exciting things that are happening on this N7 Day, as there will also be a streamable online panel later today featuring the voice cast of the original trilogy, including both the male and female voice actors for Commander Shepard. BioWare is also doing giveaways and sales via its Twitter accounts.
The next Mass Effect is in pre-production.
Source: BioWare Blog