New Mass Effect will be adult and photorealistic - game director

Ahead of the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, game director and executive producer of Mass Effect, Mike Gamble, spoke about the "next big game from BioWare."

The controversial aesthetic of The Veilguard, featuring stylized characters and a graphic style inspired, according to art director Matt Rhodes, by Northern Renaissance paintings and Akira Kurosawa's films, has raised concerns among some about changes to Mass Effect. Mike Gamble attempted to alleviate these worries.

Lots of people asking me about Mass Effect now that Veilguard reviews are out, and Oct 31 is close.

Both are from the studio, but Mass Effect is Mass Effect. How you bring a Sci Fi RPG to life is different than other genres or IPs…and has to have different kinds of love.

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) October 28, 2024

"Many people are asking me about Mass Effect now that the Veilguard reviews are out, and October 31 is approaching. The studio is working on both games, but Mass Effect is Mass Effect. The way you bring a sci-fi RPG to life differs from other genres or IPs... and requires a different kind of love."

I'm not sure I agree with the Pixar thing, but Mass Effect is photorealistic and will be as long as i'm running it.

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) October 28, 2024

"Mass Effect is photorealistic and will remain so as long as I am overseeing it," Gamble wrote in response to a user pleading with BioWare not to apply the new visual style to the game.

BioWare first announced that it was developing a new Mass Effect game in November 2020. Later that year, it was revealed that several veterans from the Mass Effect trilogy had returned to work on the next installment of the series.

In July 2022, it was confirmed that experienced writer Mary DeMarle, known for her work on the recent Deus Ex games, joined the studio to craft the story for the next Mass Effect.

In March of last year, Electronic Arts stated that the Mass Effect team had been assisting in the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, while a small core group led by Gamble continued preparations for the production of Mass Effect. It is currently expected that the next game in the series may not be released until 2029 at the earliest.

Source: VGC