The Mass Effect trilogy focusing on Commander Shepard concluded in 2012, but that does not spell the end for the series. We were told there would be more games using the property in the future that would follow a different story in the Mass Effect universe.
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No official details have been announced, but Twitter is a great source for small nuggets of information that clue fans in to what developers are up to.
Studio Director at Bioware Montreal Yanick Roy answered a fan's question about the current development of the next Mass Effect title, and he gave a small update that tells us what's going on right now with the game.
@Jackmayall5757 Too late for one, too early for the other... So I guess we're somewhere in the middle? :-)
— Yanick Roy (@YanickRRoy) April 30, 2014
The middle it is! While we may not know anything about the game, it's safe to say its development is well underway. "Middle stages" is of course a pretty vague term, but the developers obviously have something of a functional game and idea if Roy is comfortable saying they're not currently in the early stages of development.
I'd love for them to explore an entire new story arc focused on new characters in the next Mass Effect games, but part of me feels like they will not be able to resist the draw of bringing it back to Shepard, at least in references and time frame. The Mass Effect universe is rich with a long history, and there would be so much to explore with other races and timelines.
The Shepard-still-alive clip in one of Mass Effect 3's controversial endings leads me to worry that they don't want to let him or his story go. As much as I enjoyed the original trilogy, it's time for something new--I hope my suspicion is wrong.
