Former BioWare Developers on What Mass Effect 5 Could Have Looked Like

As is well known, BioWare had been working on a new, fifth installment of Mass Effect, which had been in the early stages of development for several years. Unfortunately, this week Electronic Arts announced the closure of the iconic development studio and, as a result, the cancellation of the franchise's fifth installment.

This news certainly disappointed lots of players, but also those who worked on the game. One of them was Tony de Waal, a BioWare veteran, who shared some details about Mass Effect 5 on his LinkedIn profile. According to him, the developers planned to recreate in the game “a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match,” drawing inspiration from the work of Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) and CD Projekt RED (The Witcher franchise). At the same time, the game was not supposed to stray from the legacy of the original trilogy. Also, as de Waal wrote, despite having a limited development team, they intended to “make something special.”

Also, on his X page, Derek Künsken spoke highly of BioWare creative director Parrish Ley and Mass Effect 5 narrative director Mary DeMarle, stating they had been working on a truly excellent project. Strangely enough, a leaked trailer for the game also surfaced, confirming its scale and revealing the game was titled Mass Effect: Universe.

“I can say that everyone I met at Bioware was a decent human being, an expert in their field, and was ambitiously imaginative about what a future experience of Bioware could be. Working closely with Parrish Ley and Mary DeMarle will be highlights of my writing career.

Meeting Catherynne M. Valente and working with her to pitch story and character and lore and sci fi wonder for this next chapter of the Mass Effect world was the most energizing, in-the-zone collaboration I've ever had.”

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Mass Effect, according to former BioWare producer Mark Darrah, Electronic Arts may eventually sell the rights to the franchise to other developers. Incidentally, this applies not only to Mass Effect but also to Dragon Age.

Even with Mass Effect 5 canceled, the franchise isn’t quite dead, since Amazon is reportedly still working on a TV series based on it. Most details are unknown, including whether it will follow the games or be a free adaptation.