Parting is such sweet sorrow. All of those players who fell in love with the Mass Effect series and its protagonist Commander Shepard knew that at some point, the space marine's fight to save humanity from a race of murderous robots would have to come to an end. But we didn't realize just how final the upcoming Mass Effect 3 would be. Because while the end of the trilogy will bring to close what may have been just one adventure in Shepard's illustrious career, players won't be seeing him in any future Mass Effect titles at all.

It's not news to hear that BioWare has big plans for the Mass Effect series, and the game's developers have claimed for quite some time that Mass Effect 3 would bring a satisfying end to Shepard's trilogy. But perhaps we hadn't realized just how final Mass Effect 3 could prove to be in terms of Commander Shepard's time in the spotlight.

But even if other games took place in the Mass Effect universe, BioWare wouldn't abandon a character that they had spent so much time and energy perfecting (in both genders, no less), right? Not according to producer Michael Gamble. He spoke with PC Gamer about the role of Shepard in the franchise' future, and didn't beat around the bush:

“After this, Commander Shepard’s story is complete.”

Gamble went on to confirm that even if there were other games set in the universe, Shepard would certainly not be appearing in them. We don't know if this means that Shepard will absolutely die in the events of Mass Effect 3, but it certainly adds weight to that theory.

Whatever the case, fans everywhere can at least be sure that the next Mass Effect title will offer plenty of new experiences. Commander Shepard's boots won't be easy to fill, but the developer has proven that they know character development.

We've already spent plenty of time coming up with games we'd like to see for Mass Effect 4, but considering just how much the series has changed from its beginnings it's nearly impossible to predict where BioWare will go next. The task isn't an easy one, with our own Rob Keyes listing more than a few potential issues. But without even a brief appearance from Shepard, it seems that the fourth game in the series will at least be able to stand on its own.

What do you think of BioWare's commitment to leave Shepard's story once and for all? Do you believe that this is the last of Shepard, or do you still have your doubts? Leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Mass Effect 3 will give Commander Shepard his last assignment on March 6, 2012 for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Source: PC Gamer