Everything We Know About ‘Mass Effect Andromeda’: BioWare Provides Hints On Multiplayer, The Game’s Engine, And More

Gamers are likely growing hungry for new information as development continues to quietly move forward on Mass Effect Andromeda, which is currently expected to release within the next year. While BioWare has remained exceptionally silent on specific details for the next Mass Effect title, a few key details have actually been disclosed so far.

Fans who have been following the progress of Mass Effect Andromeda already know that the series’ next installment will feature an entirely new protagonist this time around. However, new faces wont be the only difference in the next Mass Effect adventure. As the title suggests, the game will also take place inside the Andromeda Galaxy, moving the franchise out of the Milky Way for the very first time.

Beyond these broad points, little else is presently known about Mass Effect Andromeda as that is all BioWare has officially announced. While many other in-development projects succumb to frequent leaks, the Mass Effect team has thus far managed to keep a tight lid on Andromeda‘s secrets. However, the studio has provided fans with plenty of additional hints and clues throughout the game’s development about what players should expect from the upcoming Mass Effect game.

Due to the secretive nature of Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare still hasn’t even revealed details on major game modes such as whether the title will feature multiplayer or not. Yet despite the lack of any official word on the matter, it seems highly likely that Mass Effect Andromeda will offer a multiplayer experience of some form after former Mass Effect producer Chris Wynn tweeted that BioWare was looking to hire a new online producer for the game.

Things are getting real now and I need an excellent Producer to come shape online for the next Mass Effect – http://t.co/L4G3OBAn87

— Chris Wynn (@The1Wynn) February 11, 2015

A look at other recent BioWare releases also hint at the developer’s increasing interest in multiplayer gaming as Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition both included a cooperative online mode in addition to the titles’ single-player campaigns.

Speaking of Dragon Age: Inquisition, BioWare will benefit from many of the advances they made while working on the fantasy title and apply what they learned to the next entry in the Mass Effect series. Talking to VG247 back in 2014, BioWare art director Neil Thompson admitted that art systems built for Dragon Age: Inquisition were already then being adopted for use in Andromeda as both titles were created on the Frostbite 3 engine.

This doesn’t mean that players should expect to see features in Mass Effect Andromeda that were directly taken from Dragon Age Inquisition, but the team will be able to apply their experiences as this won’t be their first time to use DICE’s development engine.

As for bringing a new lead character to Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare has stated that this was simply done because the previous storyline following Commander Shepard was fully concluded in Mass Effect 3. Users will still be able to customize Andromeda‘s new playable character, with options to choose how the game’s protagonist will look.

Just like before, this even includes the ability to select the character’s gender. Unfortunately, fans will still be bound to creating a human-only character once again in Mass Effect Andromeda. The game’s lore does feature numerous sentient alien races, but the narrative requires a viewpoint that can apparently only be told from the viewpoint of the human race. BioWare’s Aaryn Flynn confirmed last November that the protagonist’s species is locked because the story has strong human themes.

@Gavin_J_Porter @macwalterslives Good question. The story is very much a human one, and we wanted to focus on that so it’s relatable

— Aaryn Flynn (@AarynFlynn) November 4, 2015

For now, BioWare continues to quietly work on the title that will become their first game to launch exclusively on current-gen platforms. While Dragon Age: Inquisition is now available on new hardware, the game also launched on older consoles as well, which undoubtedly has some effects on the final product. Fans can expect plenty of additional details to be revealed as the upcoming release of Mass Effect Andromeda draws closer.

What do you hope to see in Mass Effect Andromeda?

[Image via the BioWare Blog]