Last year in December, we got an official release trailer for the next Mass Effect game during the 2020 Game Awards, and fans have been waiting for more news on the title ever since. A recent job listing has hinted that significant changes may be coming to the franchise regarding the graphics engine.
Even since the divisive 2017 release that was Mass Effect: Andromeda, ME fans have been eagerly wondering what would be the future of the franchise. Andromeda received a mixed reception, with fans praising how the gameplay had improved but criticizing the weaker writing and the major technical difficulties on release.
With a new game on the horizon, EA seems to be going back to more familiar territory.
The job listing we mentioned earlier hints at the fact that EA may not use the Frostbite engine in the next Mass Effect game. The listing on EA’s recruitment platform states that the company is looking for a Franchise Technical Director for the Mass Effect series.
In the listing, “experience with UnrealEngine4+” has been mentioned explicitly in the Requirements section for the job, hinting that the next game is looking to switch back to the Unreal Engine.
Mass Effect: Andromeda was built using EA’s Frostbite engine, but the shift to the Unreal Engine isn’t a new move. The first three games in the series were made using the engine developed by Epic Games. Unreal Engine is easily one of the most well-known game engines in the industry and has been used for major franchises such as Bioshock and Dragon Quest.
While Andromeda caused a lull in the hype of the Mass Effect series, the recently released Mass Effect: Legendary Edition helped to bring it out of that slump. The remaster of the original trilogy topped the Steam sales charts and revived interest in the franchise as well.
The next installment in the franchise is still years away, but the success of the remaster should keep fans waiting for what the new title will bring.
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.
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