Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Best gaming gadgets
  • New Games 2026
  • Arc Raiders
  • Summer Game Fest 2026 schedule
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. RPG
  3. Mass Effect
  4. Mass Effect 3

Blonde female Commander Shepard wins BioWare's box art competition

News
By Matt Bradford published 27 July 2011

Winning design to grace collector's edition box

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

At long last, and after months of heated debate and speculation, BioWare has revealed one of Mass Effect 3's key details: the default color of female Commander Shepard's hair. After tallying the results of itsFacebook fan-poll, the studioannounced via Twitterthat the universe's most rough-and-tumble female space warrior will be blonde; leaving some to wonder what staggering impacts this will have on the fate of the human race, and others to wonder if BioWare is running out of ways to hype its upcoming sequel.

TheFacebook promotion, which ended this week, asked visitors to 'like' their favorite female Commander Shepard character design. Out of the six possible candidates (most of which were near identical save for hair color and style), fans selected the blonde Commander Shepard by a generous margin, winningher the starring role on Mass Effect 3's Collector's Edition box. At last check, the space captain with the golden locks (pictured left) had garnered nearly 25,000 votes, while the retro-Posh Spice (pictured right) version languished in second place with 9,700.

So there it is: gentleman (and gentlewomen, of course) really do prefer blondes ...at least when it comes to those representing mankind's last great hope. Check her out in full below:

Latest Videos From
You may like
  • Mass Effect "F***ing Colonel Shepard dies in Mass Effect 3, and that makes us the Worst Company in America," former EA exec laments
  • Crimson Desert female protagonist mod shows a woman looking down Crimson Desert has everything except a female protagonist, so modders added one
  • Mass Effect TV show goes through rewrites to appeal to "non-gamers," but I'm hoping it follows Fallout's lead

The third and final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy is scheduled to begin on March 6, 2012. In the meantime, check out our most recenthands-on preview for Mass Effect 3from Comic-Con 2011.

Jul 26, 2011

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Matt Bradford
Social Links Navigation

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Read more
Mass Effect
Mass Effect "F***ing Colonel Shepard dies in Mass Effect 3, and that makes us the Worst Company in America," former EA exec laments
 
 
Crimson Desert female protagonist mod shows a woman looking down
Open World Games Crimson Desert has everything except a female protagonist, so modders added one
 
 
Mass Effect Mass Effect TV show goes through rewrites to appeal to "non-gamers," but I'm hoping it follows Fallout's lead
 
 
Commander Shepard in Mass Effect
Sci-Fi Shows Mass Effect showrunner says he was never told to rewrite the Amazon series for "non-gamers"
 
 
Mass Effect 5
Mass Effect Mass Effect 5 hasn't been shown off more because BioWare is "just busy workin'" on the RPG
 
 
Screenshot of Overwatch hero Domina, a woman in a sleek business suit and black hair, holding a futuristic gun while smirking into the camera.
FPS Games All it took was Overwatch cosmetics for new tank baddie Domina to send fans to the dark side in the ongoing faction wars
 
 
Latest in Mass Effect
Mass Effect 5
Mass Effect Mass Effect 5 hasn't been shown off more because BioWare is "just busy workin'" on the RPG
 
 
Mass Effect Mass Effect TV show goes through rewrites to appeal to "non-gamers," but I'm hoping it follows Fallout's lead
 
 
Mass Effect
Mass Effect "F***ing Colonel Shepard dies in Mass Effect 3, and that makes us the Worst Company in America," former EA exec laments
 
 
Commander Shepard smiles bizarrely in Mass Effect
Mass Effect Mass Effect DLC prototype uncovered after 19 years with a look at the cut side mission that became Bring Down the Sky
 
 
The Witcher 4
The Witcher CDPR welcomes new AI director, who joins The Witcher 4 studio "after 8 years of building memorable RPGs at BioWare"
 
 
BioWare
Mass Effect Skyrim lead thinks Mass Effect 5 would benefit from looking to Baldur's Gate 3 or being more of a "Bethesda-style game"
 
 
Latest in News
Mixtape screenshot featuring the three main characters running and bouncing through a field
Adventure Games Mixtape devs say it won't ever be removed from sale due to expiring music licenses: "That was a lie"
 
 
Forza Horizon 6 lamborghini huracan driving past fields of colorful flowers
Forza Horizon Forza Horizon 6 reportedly has more than 1 million players, despite still being locked behind a $120 Premium Edition
 
 
A character in Terraria dressed in armour and holding a torch
Simulation Games As Terraria sells 70 million copies, devs are done with promising final updates and say they'll "continue beyond 1.4.6"
 
 
Shadow (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic 3
Live Action Movies Sonic the Hedgehog 4 director calls it the "best Sonic movie yet" as filming officially wraps
 
 
Crimson Desert: Cliff Macduff looking out into the distance during the new game, Crimson Desert.
Open World Games Crimson Desert Kliff actor says video game acting wasn't treated as "proper acting" by peers
 
 
Subnautica 2
Survival Games Subnautica 2 devs are trying to push players towards non-violence in the sequel: "We feel strongly about it"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Link rides Epona into battle in artwork for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
    1
    Zelda: Twilight Princess did what the N64 couldn't because Miyamoto really wanted horseback combat
  2. 2
    15 years since LA Noire's MotionScan tech blew my mind, it's the best Rockstar series we never got
  3. 3
    10 Best Dragon Quest games of all time, ranked
  4. 4
    The Witcher 2 never made the jump to PlayStation, and I feel bad for those who've never played it
  5. 5
    Sigourney Weaver says her Mandalorian and Grogu character Colonel Ward is "the same generation as Princess Leia"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...