What the Mass Effect 4 Update Says About a Potential Release Date

This week, BioWare provided a new, but brief update on the next Mass Effect game, commonly known as Mass Effect 4, though some refer to it as Mass Effect 5 due to Mass Effect: Andromeda technically being the fourth installment in the sci-fi series. If you missed it, the update isn't very consequential, but there may be a few interesting tidbits if you read between the lines, including tidbits that may hint at when the game will release. 

The update begins by noting that the team working on the game is a combination of BioWare veterans and new faces. If you've kept up to date with BioWare over the last few years, you'll know many of its key figures, including those responsible for birthing and shepherding the Mass Effect series, are gone. That said, despite this, there are still plenty of familiar faces working on the series.

The update continues by noting the team is "actively prototyping new ideas and experiences." While this blurb doesn't confirm anything, it heavily implies the game is still in the pre-production stage, which is to say, still taking creative form. Adding to this, BioWare notes that "AAA next-gen games" take a long time to develop. This is capped by committing to quality and taking the time to get things right. 

"And of course, we're also working on the next Mass Effect. The team, led by Mike Gamble, is made up of a team of veteran developers as well as some new, really talented people," reads the statement. "They are all actively prototyping new ideas and experiences. AAA next-gen games take a long time to make – and we know our fans may want them sooner. But our number one priority needs to be quality, and that simply takes time to get it right."

So, what does this statement tell us? Well, it seems to confirm the game is still in the pre-production stage. If this is the case, it's several years away, at least. If this wasn't clear -- and to be fair, it's not super clear -- BioWare seems to reiterate this caution by noting that games like this not only take a long time to make, but the team is ensuring no part of the process is rushed. 

This is all good news, unless you're dying with anticipation for more Mass Effect. Again though, nothing here is definitive, but it seems to suggest the game won't be out this year or next year or probably not even the following year. 

For what, it's worth, we've heard through the grapevine that BioWare is targeting a 2023 release for Dragon Age 4, however, this is just an internal target. 2024 is a possibility. Now, different teams are working on Dragon Age 4 and Mass Effect 4, but they do share resources to an extent. To this end, unless Dragon Age 4 hits development issues again and suffers another delay, Mass Effect 4 won't release before it, or too soon after it, which means it's not releasing anytime soon.