Mass Effect Fans Get Clue on Commander Shepard’s Return in New Game

Mass Effect fans just got a major clue on Commander Shepard’s return in the next installment in the series. It’s been six years since BioWare announced a new Mass Effect game, and the first since 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda. Since then, there have been a couple of teaser trailers, but nothing substantial or salient. Meanwhile, one big mystery remains: is Commander Shepard returning, and if so, in what capacity? Well, for the Mass Effect fans hoping the character is returning in a prominent role, you may want to prepare for disappointment.

In a recent interview, Jennifer Hale, the voice actor behind female Commander Shepard, was asked about the future of the series, and she had two interesting things to say. The first was less directly about Commander Shepard, but still telling. When asked about her hopes for the future of the series, Hale shared both some hopes and some “concerns,” the latter of which was focused on EA being sold to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The concern with this is what type of impact this will have on BioWare, its culture, and its ethos. If Hale was actively working with BioWare, and extensively EA, she probably wouldn’t express concern about the pair publicly. This is just an assumption, though. The second tidbit is a bit more hearty in terms of implications.

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In a follow-up, Hale was asked what her dream scenario would be for the next Mass Effect game. Replying to this, Hale said it would be to bring Commander Shepard back.

“Bring Commander Shepard back. Find a way for Mark [Meer, voice of male Commander Shepard] and me to be together in the same universe. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

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There’s nothing too definitive to this comment, but if Hale was working on the game, she would be under NDA, which would make this particular comment unlikely. In fact, she would probably avoid talking about the game altogether, without making it obvious she’s doing that, of course. And so far, the past few years, she has not shied away from talking about it, and even alluded to in the past that BioWare has not contacted her about working on the new game.

Alas, all we still have is speculation. That said, if Commander Shepard is returning in the next game, it probably is going to have something to do with the Geth.

As always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.