Yesterday, shortly after EA laid off 670 employees and canceled a new Respawn game, a report has revealed Mass Effect 5 is still alive, and in pre-production.
EA announced the layoffs on February 28, alongside a statement that it would be effectively shutting down "development of future licensed IP," and pivoting back to its major franchises. Now, IGN has reported that BioWare's Mass Effect 5 is still in pre-production, while Dragon Age Dreadwolf remains in development.
"IGN also has learned that a team is still working in pre-production on the next Mass Effect, though BioWare's current focus remains on Dragon Age," the full report from IGN reads. We've known for years that Mass Effect 5 was in pre-production at BioWare, but IGN's new report reassures fans that development hasn't been halted in the wake of EA's layoffs.
Mass Effect 5 was first announced back in 2020, and since then, we've seen a few artistic teasers for the new game. A new teaser in November 2022 pointed to a futuristic cityscape for example, and a year later, one piece of art had fans speculating that the Paragon and Renegade system could be returning for Mass Effect 5.
A report earlier this month indicated that the majority of developers weren't positive about the overall direction of the games industry.
