A prominent gaming insider has shared an “industry rumor” claiming that theMass Effectseries is going back to its roots, which means ditching the partial open-world format that had been added into the most recent new installment in the series, 2017’sMass Effect: Andromeda.
While he doesn’t claim to be the original source of this rumor, Jez Corden, the managing editor at Windows Central and a frequent podcaster, shared it yesterday (September 8) whilespeaking on The Xbox Two Podcast. “I’ve heard that Mass Effect is ditching open-world and going back to its classic format,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s accurate 100 percent, but it’s an industry rumor.”
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For the sake of context, Corden and cohost Rand al Thor hadn’t even been discussing Mass Effect specifically during the podcast. Rather, they been sharing their thoughts onStarfield, at which point Thor had indicated Starfield was a return to greatness forBethesdaafter its lackluster and publicly maligned launch ofFallout 76. He brushed off Starfield’s critics, comparing the game’s success to a potential return to glory forBioWarewith the upcomingDragon Age: Dreadwolfor the next installment in the Mass Effect series.That was when Corden shared the rumor, with the intent of silencing those who are criticizing Starfield for following the tried-and-tested Bethesda format without bringing much new to the table.
Releasing in 2007 on the Xbox 360, the first Mass Effect game was heavy on gunplay and RPG elements and was lauded for its character writing, particularlyamong its companion characters. However, set across several planets and ships in space, it largely avoided going open-world, instead having the player visiting and exploring a number of smaller select locations—a trend that held up through the next two main-series games.
It wasn’t until the most recent game in the series, Mass Effect: Andromeda, that BioWare started experimenting with open-world elements, and while it provided for a much greater physical area to cover, fans and critics didn’t seem to respond well to the game in general. Ultimately, the game ended up earning metascores between 71 and 76 depending on platform, while the other main-series games all eclipsed the 90 mark, with Mass Effect 2 on Xbox 360 topping out at a metascore of 96.
Regarding the possibility of open-world elements disappearing from future Mass Effect titles, fans on Reddit didn’t seem too concerned. “Not every game needs to be open world. Sometimes you just need a setting that works well for your gameplay,” said one person. Responded another, “I’ll take carefully hand crafted levels/zones over samey and uninspired open worlds any day.”
