BioWare has hinted once again that the next entry in the "Mass Effect" game franchise may not engage with the events of the previous trilogy of games in any way.
In an interview with Complex, "Mass Effect 3" lead writer Mac Walters revealed that the studio wants the fourth title to have a feel that is distinct enough to let it stand on its own as an independent from the story of Shepard
"Well, I can't get into details, but the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn't relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever," he said. "That's what we've been deciding for a while. But throughout it all, one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can't just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core. Just without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions."
BioWare has said in the past that, although it wants to continue making games in the Mass Effect universe, calling any game "Mass Effect 4" would do a disservice to the original trilogy. As a result, the next installment won't follow the adventures of the same character from that trilogy.
According to IGN, elsewhere in the interview Walters addressed the ending of "Mass Effect 3" and reiterated that the studio took feedback on board and addressed as many issues as it could in the extended Cut DLC.
"It's been 18-19 months since it came out and my thoughts on it are that we addressed it the best we could in the Extended Cut," he said. "We're obviously not going to be changing anything now. We're only going forward.
Back in June, the director of BioWare Montreal offered some hope to fans saying that the upcoming fourth installment of the popular science fiction franchise has had developers hard at work in the background and that a concrete reveal should be coming soon. However, no official release date on the title has been announced.
