Mass Effect: 8 Ways Developers Could Produce A New Entry Worthy Of The Fanbase

8. Set It WAY After The Original Trilogy

A new Mass Effect instalment would benefit greatly from taking place a long time after the events of the original trilogy. Stories of Shepard, The Illusive Man and The Reapers should have long become myths and legends. This would allow the writers to continue the story without having to rely too heavily on past games.

Doing this would also mean that perceptions of Shepard could change, dependent on who you’re speaking to. Was Shepard a man or a woman? A paragon or a renegade? What exactly was their involvement in the Genophage? Nobody knows for certain; they’ve just heard the stories. The only thing everyone in the galaxy can agree on is that Shepard was the human who gave their life to end the Reaper threat.

The idea of an unknown Shepard would remove the constraints of player choices made in the original games.

Jumping forward in time would be a solid way to create a delicate balance between a brand new storyline, whilst still staying faithful to the source material. Nostalgia and throwbacks should indeed be included, but a new game needs a new direction, a new threat and a new band of characters to fall in love with.