In the time since the last console generation – and its lack of backwards compatibility – HD remasters have become a huge part of the industry.
Some are more ambitious than others, with entire franchises collected onto a single disc — but, at their core, HD remasters are about taking an older game and polishing it for a new wave of consoles. They don't seem to be going anywhere, either, as several franchises have already received similar treatments on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Mass Effect has been at the center of HD remaster rumors for a while now. Many claim that EA is getting the franchise ready for its next-gen debut while BioWare is working on Mass Effect: Andromeda. From a business standpoint, it makes sense: collecting all three games on a single disc would be a convenient way for players to experience the entire trilogy — even if the games aren't all that old.
According to EA, however, it's just not in the cards. While speaking with GameInformer at E3 2015, EA's executive vice president Patrick Söderlund made it clear that fans won't be seeing an HD remaster of the series anytime soon.
"I won't lie and say we haven't looked at it... But for us, it's about weighing where we spend our resources. Is it better for them to be working on a completely new IP, which you know BioWare is, or should they be remastering a Mass Effect?"
He raises a good point: it's already been three years since Mass Effect 3 was released, and it'll be another year before Mass Effect: Andromeda hits store shelves. While it'd be great to have the series all bundled up in a single disc, the resources spent on the remaster would mean the next installment could get pushed back even further.
"I don't know about you, but sometimes when I go back and play a game, you want the memory of what they were at that point in time when you played them. If I go back and play the old games, I think, 'Really?!' Was this what it was? Because in my mind it was amazing."
When asked directly about the in-studio discussions over a Mass Effect HD remaster, Söderlund declined to comment — so, hopeful fans shouldn't give up just yet. That said, it's probably best to get excited about Mass Effect: Andromeda instead — after all, at least fans know for sure that game is actually being made.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is due sometime late next year, while the original Mass Effect will be available on Xbox One this fall.
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