Summary

  • BioWare is focusing on Mass Effect 4 now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out.
  • The next Mass Effect game is likely not far along enough to support the entire team's involvement.

Despite wrapping up work on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare may not release the next Mass Effect title anytime soon. Fans have been waiting for news of the follow-up to the original trilogy since the initial teaser dropped in 2020, but little has come out in that time. While many assumed the next Mass Effect wouldn't be far off after work on The Veilguard wrapped, it may take longer than expected to come out.

BioWare has confirmed that it's focusing on Mass Effect 4 now, with no plans to release DLC for the latest Dragon Age title. That means more people and resources are now at Mass Effect's disposal, but fans may need to manage their expectations about how that will impact the release timeline. While production on the game will ramp up, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be ready shortly.

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Former BioWare executive Mark Darrah explained the expected production timeline for the next Mass Effect in a January 21 video on his YouTube channel. He notes that the entire BioWare team was previously working on Dragon Age: The Veilguard — a level of focus the studio hadn't seen in years. While that means there's now a huge number of people ready to work on Mass Effect, the game itself isn't far enough along yet to support that much simultaneous work. While Mass Effect 4 has series veterans working on it, Darrah suggests there's a lot of work to be done before the project is ready to accept a larger team.

The Next Mass Effect May Not Be Ready for a Bigger Team Yet

Simply put, there's not enough work available right now for the entire BioWare staff to get involved. Darrah says they'll need to find other work within EA to tackle while a smaller group lays more of the groundwork for Mass Effect 4 to eventually ramp up production and take on more developers. What exactly that other work would be is unclear. BioWare insiders have discussed how a Dragon Age remaster would be difficult, and the studio already said it won't make any DLC for the game. It's also not evident how long it'll take before the Mass Effect team can grow.

The news that Mass Effect 4 may take longer than expected despite BioWare freeing up employees may be disappointing, but Darrah points out that there's a bright side. Having more people and resources than necessary is a good problem to have, as it lets teams focus on building the best possible game they can without constraints. For now, though, fans will have to wait for more details. The latest Dragon Age may have confirmed Mass Effect 4 rumors about Shepard coming back, but beyond speculation like this, there's not much players can tell about the game yet.

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Mass Effect
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Action RPG
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Released
November 20, 2007
ESRB
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
BioWare
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts
Engine
Unreal Engine 3
Cross-Platform Play
doesn't have cross-play between PC and consoles,
Cross Save
yes
Franchise
Mass Effect
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre(s)
Action RPG
How Long To Beat
17 Hours