The next game in the Mass Effect series will not star Commander Shepard, according to BioWare Montreal.
VG247 spoke with developer Bioware at a EA showcase. BioWare Montreal producer Fabrice Condominas said that there will be a new Mass Effect game but with a new hero.
“There is one thing we are absolutely sure of – there will be no more Shepard, and the trilogy is over”, said Condominas. “This is really our starting point. Now the Mass Effect universe is vast, and very, very rich. So at this point in time, we don’t even know what kind of time frame we’re going to be in. All we’re doing is more gathering ideas from the teams, gathering feedback to see several things.”
“So first, we don’t want to make ‘Shepard 2′, or Mass Effect 4 with like, ‘oh there’s no more Shepard but you’re a soldier in the universe’. So this will be a very, very different context for sure, and nothing has been decided on the rest.”
BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy said: “While it will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games, with the original trilogy now concluded and the switch over to a new engine, we are exploring new directions, both gameplay and story on the fronts. You can still expect the pillars for the deductible is known to be fully intact though, including diverse alien races, a huge galaxy to explore, and of course rich, cinematic storytelling.”
Mass Effect 4 has not been announced yet.