Mass Effect Modders to Add Same-sex Romance to Game Via Official Audio

In a development that will surely come as great news to Mass Effect fans in the LGBTQ+ community, modders are bringing same-sex romance to the newly released Mass Effect Legendary Edition. What’s more, this will not be through the use of any technological trickery: modders will use official unused voice files found in the remaster to add same-sex relationships, like that between Female Shepard (FemShep) and Miranda Lawson, to the game.

According to a comprehensive report by The Gamer, the same-sex storylines that exist in the game’s files involve Jack, Jacob, Kaidan, Ashley, Miranda, Thane, and Tali. Some of these pairings were supposed to find their way into the original trilogy but due to fear of backlash from Fox News, they never did. It was also discovered later that a “Brokeback Mountain” cutscene had been animated for Jacob and MaleShep, but was cut from the final product for similar reasons.

Naturally, this disappointed the trilogy’s fans greatly and led to heavy backlash; and rightly so as the extent of this censorship is quite alarming. Currently in the game, FemShep cannot start a relationship with Jack (who was initially supposed to be Pansexual) and male Shepards cannot date Jacob Taylor, despite the fact that the latter couple’s gay romance was originally modeled after Brokeback Mountain. So, with the game programmed to exclude same-sex content, only mods can step in and restore order.

As per, Ryan “Audemus” Ainsworth, a prominent figure in the modding community, there’s dialogue present for many unused scenes, not just unintentional same-sex options for Commander Shepard. For example, the game’s files have complete dialogue present for a cut romance between Ashley and Kaidan, as well as other romantic scenes that were consciously cut from the Mass Effect trilogy. These scenes could include a romantic storyline between Jack and FemShep.

For those wondering why this is happening now rather than years ago when each game was released, it all boils down to the technology that is available today.

Modders can now add new audio and sync it with the character models in ways that were impossible before. Citing the release of Mass Effect 3 in 2012, Audemus said that at the time, the extent to which this kind of operation could be performed was very limited. Furthermore, during the release of Mass Effect 2, audio-related modding projects weren’t possible at all.

Essentially, all the hidden material that contain same-sex storylines are now available for modders to tinker with. So, all things considered, it probably won’t be too long before PC players see mods that finally allow them to give FemShep and Jack a slice of “happily ever after”.

About Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

The first three original games of the franchise: Mass Effect(2007), Mass Effect 2(2010), and Mass Effect 3(2012), will be fused together. The outcome of this amalgamation will be known as Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. These classic games of the past will be given a modern touch.

To make this game a fit for the modern hardware, Mass Effect Legendary Edition will carry a plethora of enhancements. Expect to see a game with improved revamped dynamic shadows, volumetrics, textures, redesigned character models, depth-of-field, etc.