Casey Hudson, director of the first three Mass Effect games, first pitched their idea for the space IP back in 2003, and the original pitch has been doing the rounds again to celebrate the first entry turning 15 recently. Despite the third title having one of the most disappointing endings in recent gaming history, with fan backlash causing the studio to later make amends, the franchise on the whole is highly regarded by critics and the community.Now that a new Mass Effect game is currently in development, players can look forward to more from BioWare's sci-fi epic, with some footage being released recently to whet the appetite of fans. Of course, successful video games don't appear out of thin air. While what everybody else sees is usually the finished product, which typically take years to come to fruition, there are those very early moments when the spark of an idea begins in someone's mind. More often than not, a new IP will start its life with a pitch.An unofficial Twitter profile called Mass Effect News, which, as the name suggests, is an account that details the goings-on with Mass Effect, has shared a couple of photos from Hudson's original pitch for the first game. This isn't the first time the document has been shared online, and copies of it can be found dating back to 2012. This time is especially significant, though, since the series celebrated its 15th anniversary recently.
The images provide an outline for the maiden installment, describing it as a "spectacular new Sci-Fi roleplaying game," with a treatment detailing a brief background of the overall story and highlighting players' ability to "travel across great distances." It's also interesting to note that the game wasn't called Mass Effect in this 2003 pitch, and was initially going to be given the name "SFX."
Fans will no doubt get a kick out of seeing the inception for this widely successful franchise. Of course, this isn't the only game that's been celebrating a milestone, either. Evidently, November is a good month for releases, as Skyrim recently turned 11 years old and the Grand Theft Auto series will be reaching its 25th year very soon.
Mass Effect is overall a beloved sci-fi series, though it does have its faults. For some, the idea of it turning 15 years old may be difficult to swallow. No doubt there will be plenty of fans who will remember the first game releasing, and the fact that the franchise is still going says something about the strength and popularity of Mass Effect.
The new Mass Effect game is in development.
Source: PCGamer