The N7 Day Mass Effect teaser is actually a throwback to one of the game's original title pitches

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But what does it mean for Mass Effect 5?

What appears to be Liara appearing in the first teaser for the Next Mass Effect game
(Image credit: EA)

The latest Mass Effect teaser trailer is actually a throwback to one of the series' original title pitches.

On November 7, aka N7 Day for Mass Effect fans, developer BioWare shared a vague message with fans that was actually full of binary numbers. This message ended up revealing the Mass Effect Epsilon teaser video - which features an even more mysterious 30-second video. The jury's still out on what exactly BioWare is trying to tell Mass Effect fans, but one thing that has been discovered by fans is that this isn't the first time we've seen the word 'Epsilon'. 

As highlighted on both Reddit and Twitter, in the developer's book, BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development from 2020, we got to see some of the rejected names for Mass Effect during development. 

Alongside names like 'Element', 'The Oculon', 'Element Zero', 'Unearthed', and many more, you'll find the name 'The Epsilon Effect'. Again, this doesn't really tell us much but it's interesting that BioWare has brought the word back into conversation over 25 years after it originally pitched it. 

To add to the speculation, it's probably not a coincidence that Epsilon just so happens to be the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. This has led fans to theorize that BioWare could be bringing back 'The Epsilon Effect' for its next game in the series, Mass Effect 5. It could even be a huge hint to the upcoming game's title, perhaps Mass Effect: Epsilon is the name we've been waiting to hear from the developer. 

Following all the teasers we received yesterday, Mass Effect 5 devs have revealed they're thinking hard about canon debates: "who really died?" Unfortunately, we're not much closer to getting the answers we desperately need, as BioWare didn't reveal any release date or really any hint as to when we'll be getting a full reveal for Mass Effect 5. It is, after all, still in pre-production as of June 2023. 

Not everyone was celebrating yesterday: Mass Effect fans and devs use N7 Day 2023 to send a message to BioWare following layoffs and low severance pay.

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Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.