BioWare Fan Suggestions Next Mass Effect

After receiving a considerable tongue-lashing over the ending to Mass Effect 3 developer BioWare is turning to their harshest critics for advice on where to take the Mass Effect franchise in the future. Borrowing a page from the Dragon Age 3 development team, BioWare's Casey Hudson is looking to fans to provide some guidance on what they'd like to see in the next Mass Effect.

While Mass Effect 3 concluded the Commander Shepard trilogy of the franchise, BioWare had earlier this year revealed they still had plenty more stories to tell, and are now sticking to that claim. Though it's unclear if this next game will be called Mass Effect 4, we do know for sure it will represent the Mass Effect brand.

The first confirmation of a development on a new Mass Effect comes courtesy of Casey Hudson, who served as Creative Director on Mass Effect 3, and has suffered a large portion of that game's backlash. But, since it is N7 day — a chance for fans to reflect on the Mass Effect franchise, and prepare for the launch of some new DLC — Hudson thought he would clue fans into what his team is working on next.

Perhaps it's a peace offering, or maybe it is a way to show that BioWare is listening, but Hudson took to Twitter to post this message:

We're in early stages of designing a completely new Mass Effect game. What would you want to see in it?

– Casey Hudson (@CaseyDHudson) November 8, 2012

Some of the many suggestions coming in from Hudson's followers include completely reinventing the Mass Effect concept or further exploring some outside characters included in the fiction (for example in the Mass Effect novels).On second thought, probably best to avoid the most recent novel -- that one didn't go over so well.

One of the most intriguing suggestions was to make a Wing Commander-style game that is set in the ME universe. Zipping through the Mass Relays has only been something experienced in cutscenes, but could you imagine what they would feel like from the cockpit of a ship like the Normandy.

Whether or not BioWare will accept fan suggestions whole cloth is yet to be determined, but the fact that they are being more receptive in the pre-development phase hints that they have learned from past mistakes. There was a major disconnect between what fans hoped for out of Mass Effect 3 and what the game eventually delivered -- even after they released a set of Extended Endings -- but from here on out we hope BioWare checks in for some fan feedback from time to time.

What do you hope to see out of a new Mass Effect game? Do you think BioWare is trying to build a more collaborative relationship with their fans?

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Source: Casey Hudson - Twitter