Mass Effect: Andromeda Doesn't Care About Mass Effect 3 Ending

During E3 2016, EA reintroduced Mass Effect: Andromeda to gamers with lots of fanfare. The game excited fans as they learnt Mass Effect: Andromeda would be set long after Mass Effect 3. However, gamers shouldn't expect to see the original Mass Effect trilogy dictate the new game's story all too much.

In an interview with EuroGamer, BioWare Studio GM Aaryn Flynn and Mass Effect Creative Director Mac Walters clarified just how much the Andromeda will be influenced by Mass Affect 3's ending.

The duo confirmed that Andromeda would not acknowledge Mass Effect 3's ending as the studio wants to the game to launch its franchise into a fresh, new chapter. Flynn said, "We acknowledged it [players' choices] in the endings of Mass Effect 3 and I think that's where we want to leave it for now. We want this to be a new story and it would be very hard to say it's a new story but also that you need to understand how [the past trilogy] ended."

Released in 2012, Mass Effect 3 was met with great acclaim, but fans were vocal in criticizing the game's controversial ending. Depending on players' choices, Mass Effect 3 could end with its protagonist taking control of the game's villains called Reapers. Or, alternatively, the game could end with gamers annihilating the race or even synthesizing the Reapers with all other life forms. However, even with those three choices, the Mass Effect galaxy would still be unavoidably destroyed at the game's end. Fans, understandably, weren't too happy with such an outcome.

Andromeda, however, will overlook the aftermath of Mass Effect 3 as the new game will be set in a different galaxy than the original trilogy. While Andromeda doesn't seem to care about the ending of Mass Effect 3, EA does promise the it will honor Mass Effect's extensive lore in their new game.

Walter explained that, "It's important for us to have elements from the Trilogy for fans to have in the background. Ultimately this is intended to be a fresh story, but we want to have things for people to find and go 'oh, I remember that character'…We needed to find a way to make sure certain species you're familiar with come along with you on your journey to meet new ones. As in the tradition of Mass Effect, there will be certain people working together happily, and certain people working together less happily."

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released in 2017 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.