Mass Effect 4 News: Game To Appeal to Old and New Players, No Release Date Given

Fans of the Mass Effect series have been waiting months for any sort of news on the continuation of the franchise, especially with the news that the next game in the series, Mass Effect 4, will not feature Commander Shepard.

That, combined with the fact that the series will be starting over on a new generation of consoles, has some fans of the series wondering if the series could suffer as a result of these dramatic changes. That being said, one of the minds behind the series, Bioware Montreal studio director Yanick Roy, has taken to Twitter to assure fans that the game will be accessible to fans both old and new.

When responding to a question about if Mass Effect 4 will have a Mass Effect: Genesis style option for new players, Roy responded that, while it is too soon to talk about specifics for the game, Bioware is making sure that fans of the series since the first game and those looking to start the game fresh with the fourth will be able to enjoy the game.

Roy also took the time to reassure a fan of the game that the next game in the series will continue to offer players options for GLBTI storylines if they so choose to follow those lines of romantic options.

While this is a welcome update about the game, Mass Effect 4 is still shrouded in mystery. The game's story is currently being worked on, and the lead writer is finding inspiration in shows such as Downton Abbey in order to be able to tell better stories that focus on human interactions rather than typical sci-fi clichés. Bioware has also hinted at possible spinoff games coming out as well, meaning that fans may have another Mass Effect game to look forward to before getting their hands on Mass Effect 4. This would allow for an easy transition between games and could perhaps allow the lead of the spinoff game to transition to the role of main protagonist for the next set of Mass Effect games.

One thing that could speed up the production of Mass Effect 4 is that the game will barrow many of the systems another Bioware game, Dragon Age 3. This will make it so the Mass Effect team will just be able to take these systems and put them into the game without having to build up some of the game from the ground up. This may mean the difference from Mass Effect getting released in the coming year or 18 months rather than several years down the line.