Jennifer Hale, the female voice of protagonist Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect series, is hinting that something special might be in the works for N7 Day.
On Twitter, Hale and Mark Meer (the male voice of Shepard) were asked if BioWare had anything planned for N7 Day. The annual celebration of the Mass Effect franchise, held on November 7 (named after the training program that recruits the best soldiers humanity has to offer), is expected to be especially big this year, with the franchise turning 15. Thus, Hale responded cryptically, stating with intriguing brevity, "stay tuned," but didn't go into further details.
Since the release of the first game in 2007, there have been four main titles in the Mass Effect series. They consist of the main trilogy, which released sequels in 2010 and 2012, and Andromeda, which arrived in 2017. A remaster of the trilogy, titled Legendary Edition, was also released in 2021. Additionally, a trailer for a future installment was shown at the 2020 Game Awards. However, outside the return of longtime squadmate Liara T'Soni (Ali Hillis) and the promise that the sequel will use the Unreal Engine of the original trilogy (rather than the Frostbite Engine of Andromeda), little has been revealed about the currently-untitled Mass Effect 5.
The Wait for Mass Effect 5
Whether Shepard themself will have a role to play in the franchise has been the subject of debate, especially since Mass Effect 3 gave players the choice of how to confront the threat of the Reapers. It was initially reported that the fifth game will continue Shepard's story, based on a synopsis listed beneath a promotional poster. Yet, this idea was dismissed as a mistake by game director Michael Gamble. Hale herself responded to speculations of Shepard's return by saying, "That is up to you guys... let BioWare know what you want. Let them know because I would love it and I think Mark would too."
In addition to a new game, franchise publisher Electronic Arts was revealed to be developing a Mass Effect television series with Amazon Studios. While there hasn't been many updates since the announcement was made in November 2021, members of the Mass Effect team have expressed enthusiasm for the adaptation. Lead writer Drew Karpshyn offered to consult on the show while Keith David said he hoped to reprise his role as Shepard's mentor, Captain David Anderson. However, David Gaider, lead writer on another BioWare RPG franchise in Dragon Age, expressed his concern that a potential Mass Effect show would be counterintuitive for a game series where exploration and customization are integral to the narrative.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available on PlayStation 4, X-Box One and Microsoft Windows.
Source: Twitter