Chris Wynn, senior development director for BioWare, responded to the criticisms of gamers on how Commander Shepard, the face of the Mass Effect franchise, will not be a part of the next game in the series, Mass Effect: Andromeda.
As a response to a fan that said Mass Effect would turn out to be "embarrassing" with Shepard not in the fold, Wynn posted on Twitter that the franchise does not necessarily need to have Shepard to find success.
@lordbyro I am well versed in the caparinhia, delicious. Be open minded to a Mass Effect with no Shepard, it can be good.
— Chris Wynn (@The1Wynn) October 8, 2015
The first three games of the Mass Effect series featured Shepard as the main character. However, back in October of 2012, BioWare revealed that Shepard will not be a part of the next game of the popular franchise.
"There is one thing we are absolutely sure of--there will be no more Shepard, and the trilogy is over," Fabrice Condominas, BioWare Montreal producer, said back then.
BioWare, however, has not ruled out references to Shepard in Mass Effect: Andromeda. There is also speculation that Shepard could still somehow return to the game's storyline, as BioWare has not yet revealed how much time has passed between Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda. When Wynn was asked for such information, he said that it was not yet time to reveal it.
Shepard being a part of Mass Effect: Andromeda may not be likely though, despite the clamor of gamers to once again see the commander. Wynn has previously stated that Mass Effect: Andromeda will not be featuring any characters seen in the past titles in the franchise, as it would not make much sense for the characters to appear in terms of the story.
It is possible that BioWare will be releasing more details about Mass Effect: Andromeda, as the Mass Effect holiday on Nov. 7, tagged as N7 Day, is just a couple of weeks away. On N7 Day last year, BioWare unveiled concept art for the upcoming game.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is launching in the fall next year for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The title of the game and its release date was revealed back in June at E3, with the trailer mentioning a "whole new galaxy," which could be why Shepard is not in the game.
