Ever since the announcement of another entry in the Mass Effect franchise, fans have wondered how exactly a fourth game in the series would work after the universe altering events of Mass Effect 3. Now fans finally have an answer, but it might not be the one they expected.

Spoilers for Mass Effect 3 below!

At the end of Mass Effect 3, players were presented with a few different choices that would determine the fate of the galaxy. Players could use the power of the Crucible to destroy all synthetic life in the Milky Way galaxy, but at massive costs to Earth, the Citadel and the Mass Relays that bind the galaxy together. Players could also use the Crucible to merge human DNA with that of synthetics to create a new form or life, or players could essentially sacrifice themselves to take command of the Reapers and prevent the destruction of the galaxy. Either way, the Milky Way galaxy is left in pretty rough shape after Mass Effect 3's end.

For a while now, all fans knew was that Mass Effect: Andromeda would take place 600 years later. Fans assumed this to mean 600 years after the end of Mass Effect 3, but the Andromeda Initiative website for Mass Effect: Andromeda reveals that's not the case at all. A timeline of humanity's space exploration efforts lists the Andromeda Initiative as launching in 2185, which puts it after Mass Effect 2 but before Mass Effect 3.

That means the characters in the upcoming game on a 600-year mission to the Andromeda galaxy will largely be unaffected by Mass Effect 3's ending. The main characters in Mass Effect: Andromeda making the journey are put into cryostasis for the trip, so they would have no knowledge of what happened during the end of humanity's war with the Reapers. The galaxy shaping events of Mass Effect 3 also likely wouldn't extend beyond the Milky Way, meaning those in the Andromeda galaxy would have no knowledge of humanity, Reapers or Mass Relays.

It makes for a fascinating new chapter in the franchise, but it also feels a little bit like a cop out. Fans have been curious to see if humanity could rebuild following the events of Mass Effect 3. Unfortunately, it looks like Mass Effect: Andromeda will provide few, if any, answers.

You can read up on all the recent Mass Effect: Andromeda news on Tech Times, including the various editions of the game that will be available for purchase come next year. The entire Mass Effect trilogy is also now backwards compatible on Xbox One.