It’s easy to forget that today is N7 Day, especially with all the delays happening in the industry. Nevertheless, Mass Effect executive producer Mike Gamble returned to set “the record straight,” and reiterate that the next Mass Effect is indeed still in development. “EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe,” likely referring to reports about developers being worried about the studio’s future.
Noting that the last few years were an “incredibly busy time at BioWare” (which released Dragon Age: The Veilguard last year), Gamble said the team is currently “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).”
He also talked about the upcoming TV series which it’s partnering with Amazon on. Gamble says the writers’ room has “a lot figured out” about its place in the overall canon, especially “where it sits in respect to the new game.” However, don’t expect it to focus on Commander Shepard – it’s a “brand-new story” taking place after the original trilogy in the same timeline.
Gamble signed off with the disclaimer that there’s “no secret game information to be gleaned by anything I’m saying today, I promise.” What an odd thing to say.
Regardless, development on the next Mass Effect has certainly been proceeding at a snail’s pace. With BioWare restructured and focused on the project, however, perhaps we may see more progress in the coming months or years. Whatever happens, hopefully Jennifer Hale, the voice of Fem Shep, returns in some capacity.
