A former Mass Effect 5 developer has stated that BioWare was aiming to elevate the franchise to "the next level," acknowledging the success of RPGs from studios like Larian and CD Projekt.
This revelation comes in the wake of EA's announcement that the next installment in the Mass Effect series has been canceled and that BioWare, the studio developing it, is being shut down. Approximately 50 individuals were reportedly working on the game prior to its cancellation.
Since the news broke, several former employees have offered brief descriptions of the game that was in development. Catherynne M. Valente, a writer for Mass Effect 5, responded to a comment on X lamenting the perceived inability of the industry to create a sequel to what some consider the "best game of all time," stating, "We did figure it out. We were working on a great game. Just saying."
Tony de Waal, a cinematic supervisor laid off from BioWare, shared on LinkedIn that Mass Effect 5 would have been "something special," promising players "a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match."
He elaborated, "We saw 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 Trilogy." De Waal expressed sadness that players would not experience their work, praising the "small, talented group of devs" who were dedicated to the project.
Larian and CD Projekt have achieved significant acclaim for their recent RPGs. Larian's Baldur's Gate 3, released in 2023, garnered critical and commercial success, setting new benchmarks for the genre. CD Projekt has been lauded for The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, the latter of which has significantly recovered from a troubled launch to be considered a top-tier sci-fi RPG.
BioWare's own recent history has been marked by struggles, with Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard reportedly underperforming expectations. The Mass Effect series has seen mixed reception, with Mass Effect Andromeda widely considered a disappointment, though the Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster was well-received.
Prior to its cancellation, Mass Effect 5 was teased to be set hundreds of years after Mass Effect 3, returning the series' focus to the Milky Way galaxy in a post-Reaper war era. Based on the comments from former developers, the project appeared to be directly influenced by the ambitious scope and player-driven narratives seen in titles like Baldur's Gate 3, The Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077.