Shortly after EA's E3 2016 press conference, Mass Effect: Andromeda producer Michael Gamble reveals on Twitter the last name of the game's main character.

Fans have been waiting to meet the main character of Mass Effect: Andromeda for years, and now we finally know their name. As announced by Mass Effect series producer Michael Gamble, Mass Effect: Andromeda's primary protagonist is a brand new character whose last name is Ryder.

Ryder's name (players will be able to choose Ryder's first name, as is typical of Mass Effect titles) was previously discovered by fans that dissected a trailer released for the game back in November. Regardless of some fans already figuring out Ryder's name, though, one would think that the official confirmation of the name of the successor to the iconic Commander Shepard would be big news.

Apparently EA disagrees with that sentiment, as the company made no mention of the name of Mass Effect: Andromeda's main character during its E3 2016 presentation. In fact, some might say that Andromeda's E3 presence was a little underwhelming compared to the coverage other titles received during EA's press conference (namely FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1) as it didn't enjoy much stage time at all.

A closer look at Mass Effect: Andromeda's main character could have been what EA's press conference needed to reach its full potential. And since Michael Gamble wasted no time in revealing the new main character's name on Twitter shortly after the event anyway, it's puzzling why EA didn't make the announcement during its E3 2016 press conference to spice things up a bit.

Some have worried that the lack of substantial footage is due to Mass Effect: Andromeda experiencing a troubled development. Further evidence of this can be found with Andromeda being delayed to 2017, and a number of developers departing from BioWare. Alternatively, Andromeda's delay could be nothing to worry about, and may just be to allow further polish before the game's release.

The latter actually seems like it may be the case, as previous reports have pointed to Mass Effect: Andromeda looking "incredible." The brief glimpses that we've seen of the game have admittedly been quite impressive, and with BioWare's track record of producing high quality blockbuster RPGs, there's no reason to doubt its ability to deliver when it comes to Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Now that we know the name of Andromeda's protagonist, hopefully some more details for the game will rise to the surface in the months leading up to its release. Whether those details come from Michael Gamble, another developer at BioWare, or at a major industry news event remains to be seen, but with the game presumably releasing in less than a year's time, expect more on Mass Effect: Andromeda and Ryder very soon.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be available in the first quarter of 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: Michael Gamble