Mass Effect: Andromeda has seen a mixed reception to say the least, and the response to the game upon release has caused some changes behind the scenes. According to reports, the Mass Effect series in general is now going to be placed on hiatus, with other projects set to be prioritized over a follow-up to the recent sci-fi RPG.

The news comes courtesy of Kotaku, revealing that BioWare is not set to put a team immediately onto the sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Not only that, but primary developer BioWare Montreal is also going to see a change in role, with the studio set to become a support team for a number of other BioWare and Electronic Arts projects.

For starters, some staff at BioWare Montreal are apparently supporting EA Motive with the development of Star Wars Battlefront 2, while others are going to help with the creation of BioWare's new property, which recently saw a delay into later in 2018. A sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda seems a long way from the studio's plans - for the time being at least.

Mass Effect: Andromeda Patch Fixes

The move to put further Mass Effect games on hold is bound to be polarizing for long-term fans of the series. A break from development to try and work behind-the-scenes on improving the Andromeda side of the series could be welcomed by some, but those who would like to see a more swift turnaround - or perhaps those who worry about the series being frozen out altogether - may feel a little concerned about this news. Either way, the move to place Mass Effect on hiatus is an interesting one, particularly given EA's (very) recent comments about its high expectations for the game.

Although work has been done to try and fix some of the game's more glaring issues, such as tweaking Mass Effect: Andromeda's facial animations and today's patch to improve cinematics, the damage to the game's reputation has perhaps already been done. Unfortunately, this may have forced BioWare to make these changes, and perhaps take stock of what to do with Mass Effect next.

Exactly what this means for the future of Mass Effect: Andromeda will no doubt be revealed soon. After all, certain plot points of the game quite heavily pointed towards further content, be it in the form of DLC or a direct sequel. Hopefully, those outstanding threads will at least be resolved in some shape or form.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: Kotaku