It appears that Mass Effect 5 is in early development, with BioWare unfreezing the franchise to hopefully recapture the lightning in a bottle of its early career. However, that presents one interesting question: where will it take place? There's a couple of avenues Mass Effect 5 could go, but there's three obvious choices.

First and perhaps the most likely is a continuation of Mass Effect Andromeda, as there are quite a few plot threads left unresolved. A sequel here could continue to bring Andromeda to life, while potentially redeeming one of BioWare's lowest-rated games. It could return to the Milky Way somehow, although a sequel is hard to imagine with the relays destroyed; on the other hand, it could be a prequel of some sorts. A third option would be to see Andromeda as a standalone and continue the Pathfinder motif in a brand new galaxy.

Of course, BioWare probably has other ideas as well, so it's hard to say one way or the other how this new game will turn out. Introducing a new galaxy will likely have its pros and cons, but there's enough lore in the Mass Effect universe to suggest this as a possibility.

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The Andromeda Initiative Explained: All Eggs in One Basket?

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In Mass Effect Andromeda, players take on the role of a Pathfinder in the Andromeda Initiative. This program was designed for the exploration and colonization of another galaxy, eventually and potentially setting up some connection between it and the Milky Way. However, it was incredibly expensive, costing quintillions of credits to design, plan, and more. Six Ark ships were made with cryostasis chambers, with each Ark containing different species and their own Pathfinder. In humanity's case, this was either Alec or Sara Ryder.

Andromeda was chosen because it was deemed to have a chance at a "golden world" and for its proximity to the Milky Way (which is still about 2.5 million light years). However, the cost of the project almost ended it before a mysterious Benefactor wrote it a blank check. Players would discover during the story of Mass Effect Andromeda that the Benefactor used the Initiative as a way to protect the Milky Way's denizens from the Reaper invasion. This Benefactor eventually had the Initiative's founder silenced and remained a shadowy figure throughout the game, although it's unknown if this order was given before the Initiative's departure.

Note that the Benefactor storyline goes unresolved because he or she is long gone. They could be in Andromeda or they could be back in the Milky Way; either way, the Benefactor may not be as benign as the moniker would suggest. However, this is also placing a lot of eggs in one basket. It's possible the Benefactor had similar setups designed elsewhere, to send even more of the Milky Way's citizens to yet another galaxy, perhaps even joining them there.

Milky Way, Andromeda, or a New Galaxy?

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Choosing this path of a new galaxy doesn't invalidate Andromeda, nor does it need to ignore the events of the Milky Way. Assuming the Benefactor did not take such a risk when their motive existed well before Shepard's confirmation of the Reapers, other Pathfinder Initiatives make sense. This could set up a trilogy itself of exploring new galaxies, and perhaps through it resolving storylines that Ryder cannot. The Benefactor could be in a different galaxy, perhaps the Quarian ship ended up incredibly off-course, or any number of possibilities.

Again, this is mere speculation and a possibility BioWare could be considering. After all, it could simply be a different cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy. Or it could be a brand new galaxy, as there are quite a few that are closer to the Milky Way, and there's even more that are further away. The Initiative could have rebranded these galaxies, assuming it hadn't been done before hand, and create a shift from a numbered trilogy to a trilogy of galaxies, giving BioWare new breathing room away from both the events of Andromeda and the Milky Way.

A new Andromeda cluster would likely have the Scourge as well, depending on how far and wide it spread, or perhaps a galaxy to Andromeda has also seen it spread there. A new galaxy doesn't mean that Andromeda's story has to be pushed into a closet, but a new galaxy offers new ways for Mass Effect 5 to reinvent itself and bring back the glory days, hopefully building off the reported Mass Effect Trilogy remaster.

Mass Effect 5 is reportedly in development.

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