In a nutshell: Mass Effect is arguably one of Bioware’s most beloved franchises. Fans are so ardent that November 7 has become known as N7 Day, named after the highest rank of special forces in the Systems Alliance. At The Game Awards 2020, Bioware solidly confirmed that the adventures would continue marking a new entry in the series.
Back on N7 Day, Bioware studio head Casey Hudson confirmed that a team consisting of many of the original Mass Effect crew was working on a new game in the series. He also announced that a remaster of the trilogy was in the pipe.
On Thursday, The Game Awards Show capped the evening off with a teaser trailer for the new Mass Effect chapter, solidly reassuring fans that it is indeed underway. There was no indication of a title (Mass Effect 4?) other than the Mass Effect logo at the end with the words “will continue” below it.
The trailer starts with a disembodied trip through the Milky Way Galaxy against an audio backdrop of historical NASA transmissions. The camera eventually passes by planets in the Sol System and the sun itself. The trip weaves its way through the wreckage of what was once the Citadel as the audio switches to panicked Systems Alliance broadcasts.
We see a shuttle speeding towards a dark planet before the scene cuts to a lone figure ascending a frozen mountain. The mysterious being finds a broken piece of N7 armor covered with snow. The shuttle can be seen in the distance with at least three shadowy crew members nearby before the clip fades to the Mass Effect title screen.
Although we don’t get a good look at this hooded character, it appears to be the profile of Liara T’Soni, or at least someone of her race. Could Bioware be hinting that the original crew of Mass Effect is making a return? We’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully, the developers go back to their roots and create something more compelling than their last effort—Mass Effect: Andromeda.