Mass Effect (2007) News

Looks like the next Mass Effect will be made in Unreal

While the first three Mass Effect games were all made with versions of Unreal Engine 3, BioWare began using EA's in-house Frostbite engine for all its games after that. The transition wasn't easy—the first two Dragon Age games had been made with versions of the studio's own Eclipse Engine, and according to Mike Laidlaw that change was why Dragon Age 2's expansion Exalted March had to be cancelled. It's also been blamed for some of Mass Effect: Andromeda's problems, due to both the extra work switching engines created and specific areas where Frostbite was lacking related to animations, map sizes, save systems, and so on...
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Former Mass Effect lead writer would be 'happy to consult' on the Amazon series

It was revealed earlier this week that Amazon Studios is "nearing a deal" to make a new series based on EA's Mass Effect games. No details beyond that "maybe it's happening" report have been shared as of yet, but the mere possibility of its existence was enough to grab the attention of a few former developers...
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Amazon Prime reportedly 'nearing a deal' on a Mass Effect adaptation

The Wheel of Time series, which debuted on November 19, has apparently been a success for Amazon Prime. That's why, Deadline reports, Amazon Studios is doubling down on adaptations—among them, a potential Mass Effect TV show. "Amazon Studios is nearing a deal to develop a series based on the best-selling sci-fi video game franchise from Electronic Arts", as Deadline puts it...
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New Mass Effect game gets another teaser to tide fans over

Geth a load of this, Mass Effect fans, you now have something to mull over for teases while you wait for more news. BioWare has revealed a new poster for the upcoming Mass Effect game to round off N7 Day.

The poster depicts a ship that's landed on a planet, with the crew walking toward a crater. Fans were swift to point out that the different colours of the world make the landscape look like a big ol' Geth face, which is a race of networked artificial bits of intelligence that hang out beyond the Perseus Veil, if you need a reminder.

There are a few other wee details you can notice if you zoom in, too. There are four crew members, and one of them appears to be a Krogan, which is another race in Mass Effect that seems big and brutish. If you look towards the crater, you'll also see the remains of what looks like another Geth. If you're more into your space crafts, you can get a good look at the ship, too, to see what that's all about.

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Mass Effect 5 may ditch Frostbite for Unreal, but don't expect it until 2025

Mass Effect 5 is definitely in production, as BioWare confirmed at the Game Awards last year in December, and we haven't heard much about it since then. Now it's looking extremely possible that EA may be looking to use the Unreal Engine to run the new Mass Effect, ditching EA's own Frostbite engine despite it still being used to power Dragon Age 4.

It has long been mandated by EA that all of the publisher's internal games would utilise DICE's Frostbite engine - since around 2016, in fact - despite the significant problems brought by the fact that Frostbite didn't really work well with RPGs. BioWare's Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem suffered as a result - especially in comparison to Mass Effect 1-3, which used the Unreal engine.

Now it looks like BioWare/EA might be considering a return to the Unreal engine for Mass Effect 5. A new job listing for a technical director on the new Mass Effect specifically requires "experience with Unreal Engine 4+" with no mention of any other engines, least of all Frostbite.

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