EA Boss Says Mass Effect: Andromeda Got Too Much Criticism, Franchise Could Return

The Mass Effect series is one of EA's biggest and best-known series. Its latest version, Andromeda, launched in March and was not as well-received as the previous games. Now, EA boss Patrick Soderlund has come forward to say that Andromeda might have received more criticism than it deserved. He also says he believes Mass Effect series can come back someday, but only if it feels "relevant" and "fresh."

"I usually don't do this, but this is one of those places where I feel like the game got criticised a little bit more than it deserved," Soderlund told GameReactor. "I think the game is actually a great game. Yes, we have to acknowledge the fact that there were some things that maybe we could have done better, absolutely, but as a whole, if you go in and you buy the game today with everything that's in it today, I believe that that's a game worth buying, personally."

Indeed, BioWare improved Andromeda after release with patches that addressed its animations, among other things, and added new content. Multiplayer updates for the game will continue, but BioWare is finished with single-player content. Unlike Mass Effect 1-3, there will be no single-player expansions for Andromeda.

Additionally, Andromeda's developer, BioWare Montreal, has merged with EA's Motive Studios. Despite all of this, and the report that the Mass Effect series is now on "hiatus," Soderlund said he believes the Mass Effect franchise can return.

"For Mass Effect as a franchise, that has such a big fanbase, and you know I've seen people saying 'Oh, EA's not making another Mass Effect'. I see no reason why we shouldn't come back to Mass Effect," he said. "Why not? It's a spectacular universe, it's a loved [series], it has a big fanbase, and it's a game that has done a lot for EA and for BioWare."

"What we need to be careful though of is, whenever we bring Mass Effect back again, we have to make sure that we bring it back in a really [relevant] way, and in a fresh, exciting place," he added. "That's my job, and that's Casey's [Hudson] job, and BioWare and the Mass Effect team's job, to figure out what that looks like, and that we don't know yet, but we will."

Hudson returned to BioWare earlier this year to lead the team at BioWare Edmonton. That studio is working on Anthem, BioWare's new IP that Hudson believes "will redefine interactive entertainment."

In addition to whatever ideas BioWare might be thinking about for Mass Effect video games, a movie based on the sci-fi series is in the works.

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