Sam Hulick, a composer known for his work on the original Mass Effect trilogy, has released a rescore of the leaked internal trailer for the now-canceled Mass Effect 5, also referred to as Mass Effect: Universe. This release coincides with N7 Day, a significant date for the Mass Effect franchise, and serves as a personal "goodbye" to the project.
Hulick explained in a Patreon post that BioWare had contacted him about contributing to the project, expressing a desire for music that felt distinctly Mass Effect while supporting a new direction. He agreed to collaborate on an internal demo, aiming to capture a musical vision that blended his previous work with a potential shift inspired by the track "Quartz" by French 79, which was used in the original trailer.
His creative ideas for the soundtrack included incorporating more lyrical songs, drawing inspiration from the positive reception of the first game's end-credits song. Hulick had considered artists like Gunship, NINA, and The Midnight, whose cinematic synthwave style he felt would complement the game's atmosphere.
Despite his engagement with the project, the closure of BioWare's RPG division and the cancellation of Mass Effect 5 mean these musical concepts will not be realized within the game. Hulick described the news as hitting him "particularly hard," as the Mass Effect trilogy holds significant personal importance to his career as a composer. The resored trailer is presented as a "love letter to the fans" and a way for him to offer closure on the unreleased title.