Mass Effect Dev Teases That Next Game Could Tie into Both the Original Trilogy and Andromeda

Last night, Mass Effect fans were ecstatic to see even a brief glimpse at the “next Mass Effect,” a short teaser that confirms BioWare is listening to fans and returning to the original trilogy’s characters and stories, effectively making “Mass Effect 4” without yet calling it such. But could the next Mass Effect also tie into the distantly-related Andromeda spin off, somehow bridging both the original trilogy and the most recent game? Tweets from Mass Effect Director Michael Gamble suggest there’s more to the teaser than a first glance might reveal.

According to Gamble, the trailer has “much to unpack,” and he urges fans to both look and listen closely. Perhaps it’s not as vague a teaser as it initially seems.

The obvious side of the trailer shows, after flying through space, a figure climbing wreckage in the snow, something that Michael Gamble confirmed is indeed a Reaper.

We soon discover that the figure is Liara, an Asari and one of the main crew members throughout the original trilogy. She’s picking up a wrecked omnitool with an N7 logo on it, and in the distance is a ship with three figures beside it: a Krogan, a Salarian, and an unknown being. Who are these characters? Gamble knows, obviously, but he’s not telling.

At this point, it seems pretty clear that this is immediately following the conclusion of Mass Effect 3, making “Destroy” the canon ending. So yes, it’s basically “Mass Effect 4,” but what if it’s also Mass Effect Andromeda 2? In a reply to a tweet from a now protected account that was sad about leaving Ryder and the Andromeda crew behind, Gamble told them to “wait and see.” With a smiley.

So while we this is very obviously a return to the original trilogy, perhaps there’s Andromeda in there too? After all, things like time and space travel are funny things. Gamble doesn’t stop there with the Andromeda teases. Another reply notes that the “Godspeed” in the trailer being reminiscent of the Tempset (Andromeda) takeoff was “intentional.”

Another tweet notes that there is “pointed imagery of two galaxies” in the trailer, and posits the idea that this next Mass Effect could be a sequel to both the original trilogy and Andromeda. Again, Gamble here says the imagery was “intentional” and that they “show both [galaxies] for a reason.”

So what does this all mean? Right now, not much, but also everything. The possibilities are seemingly infinite, at least within the defined teases that have been laid out by this trailer. Is BioWare going the route of making only one Mass Effect 3 ending canon? How will the Legendary Edition of the original trilogy account for this new canon, and will choices made in it carry over to the next Mass Effect game? And where does Andromeda come into play? Could we see Ryder and the other Andromeda characters at some point?

Unfortunately, it’s going to be a long while before we find out much more. The BioWare blog post about the Mass Effect and Dragon Age teasers confirms that, while the trailer “sets the tone” and is “full of hints” about what they are planning, they’ve got a “long runway” before they can show us any more. BioWare loves to tease fans years ahead of release with long information droughts in between, so be prepared to wait. Maybe we’ll get another teaser at next year’s The Game Awards?