Canceled Mass Effect 5 aimed for higher player autonomy, says former dev

Former BioWare cinematic supervisor Tony de Waal says the canceled Mass Effect 5 project aimed to provide a level of player autonomy and choice that no other game has matched. De Waal says the team looked to the work of Larian and CD Projekt RED for inspiration to bring the franchise to the next level.

Content creator Dantics says the game, reportedly titled Mass Effect Universe, was set more than 600 years after the Reaper War. According to Dantics, the game would have featured a "galactic cold war" setting with three competing powers: an alliance of humanity, Krogan, and Batarians, the Council races, and the Geth.

Insider shinobi602 says development began in 2020, but the team was diverted to finish Dragon Age: The Veilguard. After that game's late-2024 release, a reduced team of approximately 50 to 60 developers resumed work on Mass Effect 5 during 2025. Shinobi602 claims a recently leaked trailer was actually an internal in-engine mood piece for EA leadership using placeholder assets rather than a finished public showcase.

While BioWare has been shut down, reports say EA is continuing work on a Mass Effect TV adaptation at Amazon MGM Studios.