Development Ambitions
A former Mass Effect 5 developer has said that BioWare had seen what RPG powerhouses Larian and CD Projekt were achieving with their games, and was responding by taking Mass Effect to the next level.
EA announced that the next Mass Effect game was canceled and its developer, BioWare, was shutting down. Around 50 people were reportedly working on the game before development ended.
Since the news, former staff have talked about the game it was shaping up to be. Author Catherynne M. Valente responded to a user discussing the challenges of making a sequel, stating that the team was working on a great game.
Cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal stated that Mass Effect 5 would have offered players a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match.
The team observed what Larian and CD Projekt were bringing to the table with their latest offerings, and started down a path to bring Mass Effect to the next level while remaining true to the original trilogy.
He expressed sadness that players would not see what the talented group of developers was building.
Industry Context
Both Larian and CD Projekt have enjoyed enormous success with their RPGs over the last decade, while BioWare struggled with a series of releases that failed to meet expectations. After Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare focused on Anthem, followed by Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Meanwhile, Mass Effect Andromeda received a mixed reception, though the Legendary Edition remaster was well-received.
BioWare had spent years teasing the next setting, confirming that Mass Effect 5 would be set hundreds of years after Mass Effect 3 and re-center the action in the Milky Way.
CD Projekt previously released The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, both establishing themselves as defining titles in the genre.
Larian gained widespread acclaim with its Divinity series before Baldur's Gate 3 propelled the studio forward in 2023, resetting expectations for role-playing games.
Former developer comments suggest Mass Effect 5 was being made with titles like The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk, and Baldur's Gate 3 in mind, particularly regarding player choice and reactivity.
The cancellation follows a turbulent period for the studio and marks a major shift for the gaming industry.
