Mass Effect 4: BioWare Asks Fans if They Want a Prequel or Sequel to Trilogy

BioWare recently announced the release of next instalment in the Mass Effect (ME) franchise at the developer's studio in Montreal. The game developer is now asking fans if they want a prequel or sequel to the immensely successful trilogy. This should come as a pleasant surprise to all those disappointed and angry fans of the ME franchise, owing to the lacklustre endings in Mass Effect 3 (ME3).

Mass Effect executive producer Casey Hudson tweeted on Monday, asking fans' opinion if Mass Effect 4 (ME4) should take place before or after the events of ME3.

"Parsing through your thoughts on the next #ME game. Would you be more interested in a game that takes place before the trilogy, or after?" tweeted Hudson, urging ME fans to take a stance on the progress of the trilogy.

As Examiner notes, although it's already clear that the next instalment in the ME franchise is in the works, it's still unclear if it will even be called as Mass Effect 4. However, the word is out that the next ME game will be built on DICE's Frostbite 2 game engine by BioWare Montreal.

The upcoming instalment in the Mass Effect franchise will not see the return of Commander Shepard as confirmed by BioWare, which is a bit of a downer to Shepard's fans. On the brighter side, BioWare Montreal Studio Director, Yanick Roy, promises to bring some respite to the downtrodden franchise.

"While [Mass Effect 4] will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games, with the original trilogy now concluded and the switch over to a new engine, we are exploring new directions, both on the gameplay and story fronts. You can still expect the pillars the franchise is known for to be fully intact though, including diverse alien races, a huge galaxy to explore, and of course rich, cinematic storytelling," commented Roy, shedding some light on the gameplay elements of the upcoming ME game.

Now, the biggest question would be if fans would like to know the history behind the events of ME trilogy (playing as one of the representatives of alien races) or a direct sequel putting the gamers into the shoes of another human protagonist succeeding Commander Shepard's untimely exit from the franchise.

A majority of us might crave for the return of Commander Shepard with a sequel in the making. However, that's very unlikely unless BioWare decides to take a U-turn for the sake of its loyal fans.

On the other hand a prequel wouldn't spur much interest among the discerning fans, as it will have no bearing on the aftermath of the Reaper threat evasion in ME3. Besides, there will be no scope for the evolution of new life forms that could open up a whole new dimension in the Mass Effect universe (pretty much possible only in the sequel).

So, which ever path you chose for your future Mass Effect adventure, please leave your comments below to share your opinion and the choices you would make for BioWare's next Mass Effect offering.