BioWare Insists Mass Effect 5 Is Still In Development, Says Team Is ‘Exclusively’ Focused On It

The next entry in the Mass Effect series was announced back in 2020, and yet we’ve still barely heard anything about it over the past five years. Speculation has mounted that it might have been cancelled, but that’s not the case.

Speaking in a blog to celebrate N7 Day today, executive producer Mike Gamble advised that after an “incredibly busy” few years at BioWare, the team is now exclusively focused on Mass Effect 5 (or whatever it ends up being called). However, it still sounds like a release is a very long way away:

“Like you, we’ve heard the rumors lately. You’ve made it clear you care deeply about what’s next. So let’s start by setting the record straight: the next Mass Effect game is in development, and EA and BioWare remain committed to telling more stories in this universe.”

“The truth is, the last few years have been an incredibly busy time at BioWare. But currently, the team is heads-down and focused exclusively on Mass Effect. We have a lot of universe to cover, lots of features to build, and lots of romances to figure out. We’re excited by what we’re building, and we promise you: when we’re ready, it’ll be a lot of fun to show.”

That’s… basically it for now. All we’ve seen in recent years are a teaser trailer and a few bits of artwork, so we’re assuming BioWare is not yet ready to give us a proper glimpse at how the next Mass Effect is shaping up.

It seems a pretty safe bet to suggest it’ll release on the next Xbox console rather than the Series X and S as a result (unless it gets a last-gen version), so perhaps that’ll change how the game is being developed as well.

In related Mass Effect news, Gamble also talked about the upcoming Amazon TV series that will “explore a brand-new story within the universe’s timeline, and will be set after the original trilogy”. It’s apparently going really well in the writer’s room right now, and everyone’s really excited about how it’s faring.

As for Mass Effect 5 though, it might be a while until we get some truly concrete news on it…