BioWare has stated numerous times now that despite the reception that Mass Effect Andromeda received, they were still not abandoning the IP, though a hiatus was put in place while the teams worked on Anthem and the next Dragon Age. Now it looks like they might be returning to the space-faring franchise sooner than we thought – or possibly a return to Star Wars – because a new job posting is itching to be filled for one of their “most prestigious franchises” ever.
According to the most recent EA job listing, via Segment Next, the BioWare Edmonton studio is looking to hire on a technical director with “AAA multiplayer games on PC or console” experience to work on a new game from the aforementioned franchise clue. Though the specific franchise obviously wasn’t listed, the immediate reaction so far has been that BioWare could be planting the seeds for their promised return to Mass Effect.
Mass Effect Andromeda was given to a brand new team, a good portion of which did not have experience with the Frost Bite engine the game relied on. Pair that with the rushed production and drastically cut resources, the adventures of Ryder were met with a less than stellar arrival. Despite that, BioWare has previously mentioned in several instances, including to me personally during E3 2018, that Mass Effect is not off the table and that they have every plan to return to the series when “the time is right.”
With Dragon Age 4 currently underway and past storyboard phase, it will be interesting to see if the speculation is dead on or if it’s in relation to a possible revisitation of their Star Wars work. Given that Mike Gamble is attached to the Edmonton studio, and he has previously worked on Mass Effect 2, 3, and Andromeda, the likelihood of the return of Turians seems higher than that of Star Wars, but either one would be a win for fans.
What do you think BioWare is cooking up? Ready to dive back into Mass Effect? If so, what would you like to see? A continuation of Ryder, First Contact War, Mass Effect trilogy prequel? Sound off with your thoughts over on Twitter @PrimaGames!
