Stop the petitions and polish off your Mass Effect 3 saves. BioWare and EA have announced the arrival of free DLC that promises to bring clarity and closure for those still miffed by the trilogy's ending (or lack thereof).
Landing this summer, Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will lengthen the game's final moments with new cinematics and epilogue scenes designed to give players a better understanding of ME3's ending, and a clearer idea of where the galaxy's biggest players wound up following Commander Shepard's end-game decision.
“Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding,” said BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka in today's release. “With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.”
Casey Hudson, ME3's executive producer and one of the more vocal defenders of the game's ending (read: BioWare defends Mass Effect 3 ending, welcomes feedback for DLC), said the free DLC should satisfy players who felt ME3's raised more questions than it answered, and fell short in offering truly unique outcomes based on player decisions.
“We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player,” Hudson added.
The free expansion announcement comes after weeks of debate over whether BioWare should rework its ending based on community feedback, or if the studio should stick to its guns for the sake of artistic integrity. While it appears BioWare has leaned slightly toward the former, the addition of more story shouldn't bother players who were already content with the studio's first attempt. Or will it? Let us know if you'll be downloading Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut, or if you'd prefer to remember the game as is.
Oh, and while you're waiting for the DLC, see if you agree with our own Mass Effect 3 ending suggestions in Mass Effect 3: Not happy with the ending? Choose one of these 20 alternative endings instead.
