Mass Effect TV Series Takes a Huge Step Forward

It’s been quite some time since we’ve had an entry in the Mass Effect franchise, and BioWare is currently hard at work on remedying that with Mass Effect 5. That’s not the only Mass Effect-focused property on the horizon, though, as Amazon and MGM Studios are also working on a television series set in the universe, and now Variety is reporting that Doug Jung will serve as showrunner for the anticipated series.

While not much is known about the series, previous reports stated that Daniel Casey would be writing and executive producing the Mass Effect series, and Jung will serve as an executive producer as well alongside Karim Zreik of Cedar Tree Productions, EA’s Michael Gamble, and Ari Arad.

Jung’s most recent project was the Jason Momoa Apple TV+ series Chief of War, which is set to debut on the service this August, and he’s also served as a writer for Netflix’s Mindhunter, Star Trek Beyond, and The Cloverfield Paradox. Mindhunter and Beyond were very different, but both feature elements that could benefit a Mass Effect-style story, and that leads us to the biggest question surrounding the project.

Every Mass Effect game featured a series of decisions big and small that could seriously alter the story and its characters. Whether that meant getting on an ally’s bad side, pursuing a romantic relationship with someone, or even deciding matters of life and death that would carry over to future games, these decisions were part of the franchise’s DNA. In a film or TV series, that level of viewer interaction and choice isn’t present (at least most times), and that can present a problem for longtime fans.

[RELATED: 7 Best Mass Effect Squadmates]

Those problems typically present themselves with whatever choice or decision in a story is not recognized as canon. If you’re adapting a specific story in a choice-based game, that’s going to have to happen, and some will be left with their personal story choices underrepresented in the new adaptation. That’s why some adaptations prefer to build a new story in the same world, and while that doesn’t automatically mean success, Amazon’s own Fallout series shows it can work extremely well when executed correctly.

If they are going to adapt the original game, they still might make a few changes that don’t include either set of choices, so we’ll just have to wait and see. The original Mass Effect was released in 2007, and its celebrated sequel, Mass Effect 2, was released in 2010. Mass Effect 3 was the culmination of the trilogy and released in 2012, and then it was over 5 years before the next entry in the franchise was released. That was 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda, but the game was hampered by a rough launch and graphical issues, though there were plenty of criticisms regarding other aspects of the game as well.

What do you want to see from a Mass Effect TV series? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things TV and gaming with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!