New Mass Effect 4 Update Has Bad News for Fans

A new Mass Effect 4 update has some bad news for fans. Yesterday, we relayed word of a leak from the official BioWare Gear store which seemingly revealed some major details about the new Mass Effect game and the first since the divisive Mass Effect Andromeda. If you missed it, BioWare has made an official poster for the game that was revealed last year into a lithograph. The poster itself isn't that interesting. It hints at the return of the Geth and a couple other things, but nothing conclusive. That said, the product description for the lithograph, to everyone's shock, hinted at the return of Shepard, the canon ending for Mass Effect 3, and much more.

"Shepard's final quest may have ended the threat of the Reapers but at great cost including Earth itself," reads the product description in question, which has since been replaced with something far more innocuous. "While Shepard and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what's next. Mass Effect will continue. And with the sneak peek poster we got from the BioWare team as part of the N7 Day 2021, there is a lot to unpack. From countless theories regarding the setting of the next game to the bewilderment on whether Geth would make a comeback, eagle-eyed fans have a lot to make of this Mass Effect Mysteries from the Future Lithograph. A Krogan and its 4-member team walk towards a Geth-shaped crater with a ship that resembles the Normandy with SFX emblazoned on either side. All this along with BioWare GM Gary McKay's hints about the 'at least five' surprises within the poster will make this Lithograph a great material for study, discussion, and endless pondering. The special pear! gloss finish and high-quality printing ensure that no detail is lost, right to the specks of dust and snow on the mysterious crater. So, suit up, hang this lithograph on your wall and get ready for the next chapter in Mass Effect."

As you can see, for a product description it has some very juicy details. This is where the aforementioned bad news comes into sight though. According to project director at BioWare, Michael Gamble, the description "was a mistake." Now, it could be a mistake and still be true. Leaking details on a game qualifies as a "mistake." Gamble doesn't say the information is inaccurate, but he implies it in a follow-up saying "the original thing was written by the people who run the store and aren't familiar with the game." Again, Gamble doesn't outright say the details are wrong, but that's what is implied. 

For now, take the original product description with a grain of salt. It's quite possible the details revealed range from entirely accurate to somewhat accurate, however, it's also possible they are all bollocks. As always, feel free to share your thoughts and hot-takes in the comments section or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there. What do you want to see from the next Mass Effect game?