Originally released in 2007, Mass Effect told the story of Commander Shepard throughout a sprawling trilogy of games with a vibrant setting and an equally colorful cast of characters. A decade later in 2017, BioWare followed up with a new chapter to its sci-fi saga with Mass Effect: Andromeda, which despite having an underwhelming reception compared to the previous games, still convinced Electronic Arts that this was a franchise worth coming back to.
Today, from a report made by Deadline, this third person sci-fi shooter made by BioWare that defined a generation and built a passionate fanbase over the years is supposedly on the verge of getting a television series under Amazon Studios.
No doubt driven by the recent critical and popular success video game adaptions have seen such as Netflix's Arcane, as well as emboldened by their efforts in adapting the Wheel of Time book series, Amazon Studios seems determined to take its shot at telling a story set in the Mass Effect universe. While Electronic Arts and Amazon haven't yet fully agreed to the project, a report by Deadline points to a deal being made between the two parties in the very near future.
It is unknown at this time if the project is going to be an original story set in the Mass Effect universe, or an adaption of Commander Shepard's trilogy, but perhaps the prudent direction to take a Mass Effect television show in would be to tell a brand new tale, with a brand new cast of characters, utilizing the franchise's captivating lore and intriguing alien species.
The idea of a movie or television show has long been floated around in the Mass Effect fandom, and indeed, an official Mass Effect film adaptation was in the works as far back as 2010, co-produced and co-financed by Legendary Studios and Warner Bros. Despite the high interest in adapting the story of Mass Effect and Commander Shepard, the project was eventually canceled over seemingly irreconcilable creative differences that made moving forward with the project difficult.
In addition to entertaining the idea of a television series, Electronic Arts and BioWare have slowly, yet steadily revealed information about the next chapter of the Mass Effect saga, a brand new game rumored to be set in the Milky Way centuries after the end of Mass Effect 3. Though there is little more than rumors, speculation, theories and teasers at this point, the next few years may prove to be an exciting time to be a Mass Effect fan.