Mass Effect: Rumors of Remasters
With N7 (November 7th) on the horizon and the recently released game play for Mass Effect: Andromeda swirling about, fans have continued to ask whether or not we will see the Mass Effect Trilogy remastered in all its epic space faring glory. With recent news coming out of EA, it is hard to tell where the company lies in its opinion of bringing the Commander and her/his iconic crew to our PS4s and Xbox Ones.
Remasters are having a recent run of success with numerous developers bringing some of their fan favorites up to next generation standards. Naughty Dog’s infamous Uncharted trilogy was one such success, as well as their Last of Us remaster that went on to sell 1 million copies a month after its release. Add to that big name giants, such as the Skyrim remaster slated for release Oct 28 2016, and iconic classics, such as the Crash Bandicoot remasters announced at E3, and you can see there is some good money and publicity to be had with remastering. So why has EA not jumped on board?
A past conversation at Gamescom with EA Executive VP Patrick Soderlund hinted that the studio was actively considering the idea. When asked about the space trilogy and remasters in an interview with Game Informer he went on to state:
“But I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can’t announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully.”
He then continued on to waffle about all the precautions EA needed to consider before they would move into such an undertaking. The list included things like quality, demand, and timing…yet it gave us hope! But now it looks like, with Peter Moore’s (CCO at EA) recent IGN interview, there are some hope crushing statements saying it is simply not going to happen.
“We just feel like we want to go forward […] there’s a little thing called Mass Effect Andromeda that we’re totally focused on at BioWare, and it’s going to be magnificent.”
When asked if there was anyone else within the company able to take on such a project, he countered with a resounding nope. “Do we have teams that are lying around doing nothing right now that can go and… no we don’t,” and then when asked about the current and possible rise in demand, stated “Is there demand? Yes. There’s thousands of people,” he said. “Do we need millions? I don’t know.”
Now, while for many this would signal the nail in the coffin for our high definition Normandy, hope may still remain. The hemming and hawing from EA shows that they themselves are not entirely set on the idea of denying fans a remake, and fan interest shows the potential of it being a profitable endeavor. Frankly this will they won’t they is killing me!
Perhaps we won’t see a remastered trilogy before Mass Effect: Andromeda releases, but one could interpret this refusal towards a remaster as a dedication to the quality of the upcoming title. From what has been seen of gameplay, it is shaping up to be an incredible experience that is removed from the timeline of the original trilogy all together. A brand new galaxy is being built for us to play in and trailers have shown beautiful and well put together open worlds full of alien life and new environments. In addition, they are all for making full use of the Frostbite engine that they used for previous title Dragon Age: Inquisition. They state in their gameplay trailer, that they are hoping to press the boundaries and really let us see what the engine is capable of for Andromeda. All of this could be what instills the series with a new sense of adventure that would attract new and old fans alike. I mean, just look at this:
Regardless, hype and appreciation for the franchise will increase if the newest installment is a success. This would certainly help add to the growing curiosity for those who never got the chance to play the original, as well as add to the nostalgia of long time fans who want to take a trip back in time. Maybe that will be what we need to get EA to shell out for a remaster!
All speculation aside, I personally cannot wait for Andromeda! I will be keeping my hopes high and ears pressed against the wall for any little leaks or secrets I can revel in. Until then….excuse me while I wait for N7 day.