Trailer For Cancelled Upcoming Mass Effect Appears Online

EA announced the layoff of 400 employees and the closure of BioWare, effectively bringing an end to the next Mass Effect game that was in early development. Shortly after, a Redditor who claims to be an EA employee posted a trailer for the cancelled game on Reddit. The trailer uses in-game footage with pre-production assets, but its phrasing is peculiar for a trailer.

It depicts a man in an N7 trench coat entering a bar, followed by an asari approaching him for a conversation. The protagonist reveals a past military career and a new line of work, leading to a James Bond-esque montage of action. Liara T'soni, an asari from the original Mass Effect trilogy, appears and the bar fight ensues. The trailer concludes with the title "Mass Effect: Universe."

The background music adds to the unusual nature of the trailer. The timing of the leak seems too convenient to be a coincidence. Nevertheless, both Jason Schrier from Bloomberg and IGN confirm that the trailer is authentic. IGN also provides context for the odd opening text, which was intended for EA leadership rather than the general public and may have been created as early as last year.

The report also mentions a public-facing Mass Effect 5 trailer, but it did not reach the public before BioWare was shut down by EA. Despite the trailer's visually appealing aspects, questions have been raised about the pace of BioWare's work, taking nearly six years to reach early production after the initial announcement of Mass Effect 5 in 2020.

Ultimately, the game is unlikely to see release, and the trailer and an anticipated Change.org petition are unlikely to change that.