When Mass Effect Andromeda was released in March 2017, the game debuted to mixed opinions from critics and fans. While the game's facial animations received considerable scrutiny, the poor quality of its story and BioWare's failure to build a world that players would want to spend time in were also raised as key issues. As a result, plans to release post-launch content for the game were dropped and there were reports that the Mass Effect franchise had been put on hiatus.

The Mass Effect series may well be on the backburner at the moment, but BioWare hasn't completely forgotten about its space-faring sci-fi franchise. In a recent Game Informer cover story for Anthem, the developer confirmed that it would return to the series eventually - although no specific timeframe for that return was given. BioWare general manager Casey Hudson explained that "It’s my baby. I helped start Mass Effect from the beginning," before adding that "Of course we intend to get back to it at some point.”

Hudson's comments echo previous statements made by the game's publisher, EA. 10 months ago, EA's executive vice president Patrick Soderlund said that he sees "no reason" why another Mass Effect game should not be made. Although Andromeda may have been received poorly, EA still seems to support the series and would welcome a fresh attempt to renew fans' faith in the franchise.

This will be great news for Mass Effect fans who feel that the series is salvageable. Mass Effect Andromeda was hampered by a rocky development period, with former developers on the project having accused BioWare and EA of having too much middle management and being generally unsure about the direction of the game. The confusion surrounding what the full game would look like, what features would be included and which tools BioWare would use to make the game was reflected in the ill-received final product. But a new Mass Effect game, with a much smoother path to release, could potentially knock it out of the park.

It's currently unclear when the next Mass Effect game may arrive as Hudson's comments do suggest that it isn't something that BioWare isn't currently working on or even thinking much about right now. Though, the company has previously sent out a survey about what went wrong with the game, meaning that it is currently sitting on heaps of player feedback. That will come in handy when work does begin and hopefully, it will be able to live up to fans' lofty expectations.

Source: Game Informer