Following the devastating sudden closure of legendary RPG studio BioWare, an early trailer for Mass Effect 5 has leaked online, offering fans a glimpse of the sequel Electronic Arts stripped from us.
The trailer, which made its rounds on Reddit shortly after the announcement of the studio’s closure, was apparently never intended for the public, instead crafted as a proof-of-concept for EA leadership last year. The cinematic trailer features shots of many familiar elements in the Mass Effect franchise, including familiar alien species like the Asari, Turians, Quarians, and Krogans, combat sequences featuring the iconic N7 armour and M-8 Avenger assault rifle, and the use of biotic and tech powers.
From the trailer, it seems that players would have taken the role of a former military operative tasked with a new line of work, with a job to stop fires before they start. The game would also have introduced familiar franchise faces, such as an older Liara T’Soni, who appears at the end of the trailer and assists the main protagonist in a bar fight. Glimpses of the player’s new ship (which would surely have been a new iteration of the iconic Normandy) were also shown, with a shot of the iconic galaxy map within its Combat Information Center (CIC). The trailer also ends with the game’s supposed title, Mass Effect: Universe.
Alas, the clip only serves to further rub salt in the wound, showing fans a glimpse of something they will never actually get to experience. Prior to its closure, BioWare had already been teasing elements of the game since its reveal in 2020, such as the return of Liara and that the game would once again be set in the Milky Way, but hundreds of years after the events of Mass Effect 3.
In addition, an alleged EA worker also stated on Reddit that a public trailer for Mass Effect 5 was apparently ready to be released before EA cancelled the game and shut down BioWare, so perhaps in another timeline where the studio understood the importance and legacy of the franchise, we could have gotten a proper reveal trailer during this year’s The Game Awards showcase.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
