Mass Effect director relieved after fans recognize Top Gun homage 15 years later

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Casey Hudson was waiting all this time

Mass Effect 5
(Image credit: BioWare)

Mass Effect's director is glad someone finally noticed how the game's opening mirrors Top Gun's.

On January 17, a Twitter user fondly recalled how Mass Effect's opening strangely apes Top Gun's introduction. The two openings, which you can see in the original tweet below, both open with a wall of text to set up their stories, explaining the efforts humanity has gone to in founding a new organization.

On January 18, former Mass Effect trilogy director Casey Hudson acknowledged the discovery, writing that he's been "waiting so long" for someone to finally notice the similarities between Mass Effect and the original Top Gun.

Perhaps it's only with Top Gun: Maverick reviving the 80s franchise that people are revisiting the original movie and realizing the similarities between it and Mass Effect. To be fair, who would've ever thought Mass Effect would deliberately look to Top Gun for inspiration?

No matter the circumstances, it's definitely strange that it took people 15 years to pick up on this detail. Then again, perhaps Mass Effect fans outside of the Twittersphere stumbled upon this discovery years ago, but this particular circle is only just now being alerted to it.

We can't help but wonder if BioWare's forthcoming Mass Effect 5 might open with a similar setup. Top Gun's opening is a painfully 80s creation, with synth beats rumbling away in the background while the opening text emerges. Is there a way the opening could be gracefully transitioned to a modern style?

Last we heard of the new Mass Effect game, fans were split on what new Mass Effect 5 artwork meant back in November 2022. 

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.