Why BioWare Should Move Beyond Mass Effect for Future Success

Everyone absolutely adores Mass Effect, and it isn’t hard to see why. It is one of the greatest sci-fi RPGs of all time, and is even considered one of the best RPGs ever made by many, myself included. Mass Effect truly transformed the RPG genre and has proven to be an exceptionally influential title. Even its less-than-spectacular entry, Andromeda, has its moments, if only thanks to the excellent worldbuilding done in previous entries.

However, as amazing as Mass Effect is, it is hard not to feel like it is ruining BioWare a little, or, at the very least, holding it back from true greatness. We all want to see the next Mass Effect game sooner rather than later, but perhaps it isn’t what BioWare needs right now. Instead, it may be time for BioWare to abandon Mass Effect altogether and look towards a future that isn’t held back by legacy titles, sequels, and undoubtedly remakes.

BioWare Should Abandon Mass Effect

It Is Time To Move On

I completely understand that Mass Effect is widely considered an essential RPG everyone should play, and I absolutely understand why. Mass Effect is beloved for very good reason, and I’m by no means trying to tarnish its legacy or insult its fanbase – of which I consider myself a proud member – by insisting that BioWare abandon one of its flagship franchises. However, I just feel like there is far too much pressure and expectation weighing it down, to the point that there is simply no conceivable way that Mass Effect 5 will be good.

Mass Effect 5, whatever shape that may end up taking, is coming off the back of not just one failure for BioWare, but numerous critically panned and financially unsuccessful titles. Mass Effect Andromeda proved to be an unfortunate stain on the franchise, even if, after several patches, it was actually a little enjoyable. Anthem failed spectacularly, both critically and commercially, with its promised 2.0 re-release canned after the studio felt there wasn’t enough interest to make it worthwhile.

Of course, we also got the somewhat mixed Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a game that proved so divisive, in large part due to fan expectations. It is those exact same expectations that have me concerned about Mass Effect 5, as BioWare is not made up of the same talent that produced that original trilogy. That’s not to discredit the current exceptionally talented folks at BioWare, but rather to point out that the studio’s significantly reduced staff may not be up to the task of meeting the wildly ambitious and frankly unattainable expectations.

BioWare Needs A New RPG

Dragon Age & Mass Effect Aren’t Enough

Instead of a new Mass Effect game, BioWare should turn its attention to an entirely new IP. I appreciate that releasing a new IP in 2025 is a risky move, especially when the focus of major studios seems to be on remakes and remasters. However, with the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proving that there is not only the appetite for new RPGs, but also new IP – as well as remakes failing in general – now feels like the best time for BioWare to flex its creative muscles.

I also believe that the current team at BioWare may be better suited to creating something new and original. Veilguard was a disappointment to many because it tried to cram original Dragon Age concepts and ideas within a completely different action-focused framework that didn’t really suit them. Instead, BioWare should have leaned more into the gameplay loop and style it wanted to, rather than feeling forced to adhere to its old ways of game development.

That’s not to say there isn’t space for a dialogue-heavy, choice-driven BioWare experience like we used to get. But rather, BioWare shouldn’t feel like that’s all it can do. In its current iteration, with the smaller team it has and the likely limited budget, BioWare won’t make the perfect Mass Effect game. If it manages to get a smaller-budgeted new IP under its belt that proves to be a success, it could then return to its legacy franchise and deliver something more remarkable and less hampered by studio limitations.

BioWare Can Return To Legacy Franchises

They Need Time To Breathe

I think, at the end of the day, we all want to see a new Mass Effect game eventually. Its cast of characters, vast world, and detailed lore are all far too irresistible for there to never be a new entry in this storied franchise. However, right now, I think it is perhaps best if BioWare leaves Mass Effect alone. If it were to release a half-baked Mass Effect game or even one that proves to be as divisive as Veilguard, then BioWare could be seriously negatively affected, and I really don’t want that to happen.

BioWare absolutely has the talent to deliver exceptional games like it used to. It’s a studio that, while certainly filled with different staff than it was well over a decade ago, is still imbued with the same spirit that saw iconic games like Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2 be made. I want BioWare to succeed, but I fear that should it stray too far from the original, limited mold of classic Mass Effect games out of sheer ambition or a desire to do something new, it could be criticized.

If Mass Effect 5 doesn’t include the same in-depth features and complex narrative mechanics – the likes of which The Veilguard was missing – then it will be criticized. It simply isn’t worth putting all that pressure on the team when a new IP untethered to such strict limitations and expectations would be free to be experimental and unique. Mass Effect may threaten to ruin BioWare completely, and I feel like, at least for a short while, that’s a good enough reason for the studio to abandon it.

Mass Effect

Systems

Released

November 20, 2007

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence

Developer(s)

BioWare

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Engine

Unreal Engine 3

Cross-Platform Play

doesn’t have cross-play between PC and consoles,

Cross Save

yes