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New Mass Effect Art Teases Potential New Game On N7 Day

It’s been over seven years since the Mass Effect trilogy concluded. A space-age role-playing series that defined the last console generation, the series has since fallen by the wayside on current consoles. The only bit of Mass Effect we’ve had in the time since has been Mass Effect: Andromeda, a spin-off of sorts with its own aspirations away from the Milky Way.

A tweet from Mass Effect game director Casey Hudson sure makes it seem like there’s a new game in the works. Hudson took to Twitter (below) to celebrate N7 Day, a community day appropriately on November 7 that’s named after the game’s vocational military code: “N” means special forces, while “7” is the highest level one can reach. For the last few years, N7 Day has felt more like a funeral than a celebration, however, as we’ve waited for new game announcements that could get the taste of Andromeda out of our mouths. This Tweet (below), however could change things.

BioWare project director Michael Gamble asked one simple question: Where do you want Mass Effect to go?

Where do you want Mass Effect to go in the future? #N7Day — Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) November 7, 2019

The thought of a future for Mass Effect feels exciting. Whether it’s a much-needed tune-up for Andromeda or some other adventure back in our galaxy, fans are certainly hungry for it. BioWare members are even teasing how many stories there are “yet to tell.”

Casey Hudson was game director on the Mass Effect trilogy in its entirety, so there’s no better person to reassure us that there’s “so many ideas” and “so many stories yet to tell.” But let’s unpack this concept art, which is slightly confusing.

We have so many ideas for things we want to do in #MassEffect, so much concept art that hasn't yet been brought to life, and so many stories yet to tell. #N7Day pic.twitter.com/gDXbYComCC — Casey Hudson (@CaseyDHudson) November 7, 2019

The first picture depicts a human seemingly in N7 armor standing in a forest near a downed structure – is that Reaper tech? In the background is what looks to be the Mako, a land vehicle deployed to help traverse planets, with another human-like figure crouching on top of it, and a Krogan standing right in front of it. Certainly seems like concept art from the original trilogy, or at least concept art set in the same time frame.

The second picture could be showing the Citadel – the style of the structures look similar to the ones found on the Citadel, and the cool hues look very familiar. However, it looks more like an entirely new location, a city built within a giant crater. The third picture looks like a Cerberus base (the C6 certainly helps), with a mysterious alien riding what looks like a space cow. The only alien race I’m aware of that has a two-pronged head is the salarians, and this dude riding the space cow doesn’t look Mordin Solus. There’s also a figure inside the Cerberus base surveying the alien planet.

The fourth picture is the most blatant – that’s clearly the Normandy flying away from some type of underwater base. This could potentially be just another piece of concept art from the Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC, which initially was meant to have a base that was set entirely underwater. Concept art for that underwater hub was featured in the art book The Art of the Mass Effect Universe.

This news is exciting for a variety of reasons, and has implications beyond the revival of Mass Effect. In February 2019, BioWare released its newest title Anthem, which was very similar to both Destiny and The Division. The game was a universal flop, with fans and critics alike highlighting a clunky system and boring game design in their negative reviews. With that allegedly ongoing disaster and the now shuttered Mass Effect series in tow, the only major franchise BioWare still holds onto and is actively working on is the fourth Dragon Age. This is an exciting prospect for fans of the Mass Effect series because this means that BioWare may finally have some extra time and resources laying around. Why not commit those to bringing back Commander Shepard and the Normandy? well who knows.

It certainly seems like all of this concept art is based in the original trilogy, which suggests that Hudson is pointing to the long-anticipated remaster of all three Mass Effect games, potentially with new DLC that will explore these untold stories of which he speaks. Guess we’ll just have to stay tuned and see what’s in store for the Mass Effect universe.

This isn’t the first time BioWare talked about a new Mass Effect, though.