Mass Effect 4 will only be available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC and that has had a huge impact on gameplay.
BioWare GM Aaryn Flynn has revealed that the focus on newer technology has impacted on the overall gameplay goals for the next Mass Effect game.
“I’d go so far as to say that dropping the older consoles has had more impact on the overall gameplay goals of the next Mass Effect game than what Dragon Age: Inquisition successfully accomplished,” said Flynn.
Dragon Age: Inquisition launched late last year for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC, whereas it is looking more and more likely the next Mass Effect will be a new-gen exclusive.
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Taking to NeoGAF, Flynn highlighted that despite the fact Dragon Age Inquisition has been commercially and critically successful, Mass Effect will be an entirely different beast.
“All of our games are using Frostbite now,” said Flynn. “We’ve said the next Mass Effect (and our new IP, but I won’t expand on that yet) uses some of the technology from Dragon Age: Inquisition. We’ve been enjoying building larger areas that you can explore with less friction, so that’ll be there as well.”
“But after that, the next Mass Effect will be (and should be) drawing on its own rich and successful past more than what Dragon Age: Inquisition would say it should do. Take the Mako, something we’ve already shown in prototype form. We had that in Mass Effect 1, and bringing it back is more related to a feeling that we can do it much better than we did before and fulfil the original promise of that gameplay. That has nothing to do with Dragon Age: Inquisition.”
“We’re very proud of what Dragon: Age Inquisition, but that does not set a ‘template’ for what every other game we make needs to be. Each game franchise needs to innovate and improve their experience based on what’s best for it, not just what another game had success with.”
Mass Effect 4 has no set release date or name at the moment.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.