After many years of waiting, fans hoped to learn a lot more about Mass Effect Andromeda at E3 2016. Instead, they were treated with a very brief video sporting only a handful of in-game scenes.

With a release window still targeting late Q1 2017, we were hoping to check the game at Gamescom 2016, at least behind closed doors. Unfortunately, we were able to confirm with Electronic Arts that Mass Effect Andromeda won't be available in any form during the German convention, be it presentation or even just interview opportunities with developers.

What does that say for the targeted release window? It's hard to tell. It could be a hint of a potential delay, but it could also be nothing significant - after all, there's PAX West in Seattle scheduled for September 2-5. In fact, Bioware chose PAX Prime (the former name of the convention) to showcase live gameplay of Dragon Age: Inquisition for the first time in September 2013.

Mass Effect Andromeda, powered by the Frostbite engine, will be the first installment in the franchise to implement a full open world environment. With the huge planetary spaces already confirmed by Bioware, the buggy-like Mako vehicle will be more important than ever before.

The main character, called Ryder, can be customized as male or female. He/she will be commanding the space ship Tempest while exploring the new Andromeda galaxy, where humans are the aliens; however, Ryder won't begin as a hero but slowly graduate to that status during the game.

The usual friendship and romance options will be available with companions, and multiplayer is also expected to return. Recently, Creative Director Marc Walters mentioned that the team is pushing Frostbite with Mass Effect Andromeda and that quality of character animations will be at an all-time high, as we had previously reported via insider Shinobi.