BioWare has finally announced the release date for one of the most anticipated video games for 2017, the space RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda, shortly before gameplay footage for the game was shown off at CES 2017.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is the next game in the Mass Effect franchise after Mass Effect 3, which was the last chapter in the adventures of Commander Shepherd that featured a rather controversial ending.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Release Date
BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn announced through an official blog post that Mass Effect: Andromeda will have a release date of March 21 in North America and March 23 in Europe. The game will be launched on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but it is delayed as it was initially expected to be released in the holiday season of 2016.
"Mass Effect: Andromeda is our most ambitious Mass Effect game to date," Flynn wrote in the blog post, with the title being brought into the Frostbite game engine. Mass Effect: Andromeda features new stories, characters, planets and species, along with a new gameplay system, and because of all these, BioWare took the time needed to make sure that gamers will get the best possible experience.
The March 21 release date coincides with speculations that started in October 2016, after Amazon listed the book The Art Of Mass Effect: Andromeda. The book is shown with a release date of March 21, which should not have been considered as the launch date of the game because art books are released around the same time as the release of the games that they are based on. However, the description of the book stated that the publisher, Dark Horse, will release the book simultaneously with Mass Effect: Andromeda, giving rise to the speculated launch date that has turned out to be true.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Gameplay Video At CES 2017
New gameplay footage for Mass Effect: Andromeda was shown off at CES 2017 in the presentation of Nvidia, further drumming up excitement for fans of the franchise after receiving confirmation on the title's release date.
The video revealed players fighting against robotic monsters, shooting streams of flame and changing their class type while they go. Players were also shown levelling up skills, with fire and electricity that can remove the shields and armor of enemies.
BioWare also released screenshots featuring the armored aliens that will be making up the Remnant faction that will be the antagonists of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Other screenshots provided a better look at the Tempest, which is one of the spaceships that will serve as home base for players.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Avoids Mass Effect 3's Ending
Without going into spoilers, the controversy surrounding the ending of Mass Effect 3 is partly due to the fact that it would be very difficult to add another title to the franchise after what happened.
However, BioWare sidestepped the need to bridge Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda by placing Mass Effect: Andromeda in between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, making the events featured in the new game's story unaffected by the ending of Mass Effect 3.
