Next Mass Effect Might Bring Back Excessive Lens Flare From Original Trilogy

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For a while now, BioWare has been developing a fresh installment in the Mass Effect series without sharing much information about it. But, in a recent social media update, director Michael Gamble hinted that this new game could carry on the franchise’s signature use of lens flares.

In response to a post suggesting that “Mass Effect 5” should maintain tradition with an abundance of lens flair, Gamble casually replied with an okay emoji. Although this doesn’t guarantee a large amount of lens flare in the upcoming “Mass Effect,” Gamble’s positive and playful reaction could imply that development on the game is progressing well.

It’s important to mention that, according to earlier reports this year, the new Mass Effect game hadn’t started full-scale production yet. Since then, several months have passed since January when the initial reports came out, but as Mark Darrah, a former BioWare producer, stated in a video at that time, the project was still in its early development stages.

As stated by Darrah, this situation occurred due to the studio being occupied at the moment with post-release maintenance for the game “Dragon Age: The Veilguard”. Since BioWare operates primarily as a single-game studio, they tend not to work on numerous projects concurrently at any given time.

The upcoming “Mass Effect” game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5. This information was disclosed when the studio announced they were recruiting more developers as far back as 2021. Initially, the job postings suggested that BioWare was seeking programmers who had experience with both Unreal Engine 4 and 5.

According to what’s been circulating, it seems that BioWare opted for the Unreal Engine over their in-house Frostbite engine due to the challenges they encountered while working with DICE’s engine during the development of Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda.

In January, Gary McKay, the head of BioWare, announced through a blog post that the team working on the new Mass Effect game was composed of developers who had previously contributed to the original Mass Effect trilogy. This team, as stated by McKay, includes Gamble, in addition to Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley. Furthermore, McKay mentioned that there would be changes in the way BioWare operates.

McKay wrote, “Sticking true to our passion for innovation throughout the creation and release of Mass Effect, we’ve set ourselves tough questions about offering our fans an outstanding experience. Now, during a gap in our main development phases, we’re using this time to rethink our approach at BioWare.

At this point in our project’s progression, it isn’t necessary for the entire studio to provide assistance. We are fortunate to have an exceptional team here at BioWare, and we’ve been working tirelessly over the past few months to pair many of our team members with open positions within EA that align well with their skills.

As of now, the upcoming “Mass Effect” game doesn’t have a set release date or confirmed title. However, it’s expected to be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms.

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2025-06-03 18:11