Ever since Mass Effect arrived on the Xbox back in 2007, the original trilogy has been held up as a benchmark for not only the action RPG, but for thought-provoking, high-concept science fiction in gaming as a whole. Sure, Mass Effect 3’s unsatisfying original ending was met with widespread criticism, and sure, Mass Effect: Andromeda was a disappointment, but it cannot be understated just what an impact the games had on the medium. From the introduction of the dialogue wheel, which revolutionized the traditional RPG branching dialogue tree, to its controversial embrace of romance options and intimate cutscenes (which allowed for a lesbian relationship, still rare at the time), the reverberations of the original Mass Effect can still be felt, while rumblings of a new game prove there’s still an appetite for the franchise.
BioWare’s sprawling universe is also coming to television screens, courtesy of an Amazon MGM adaptation announced in 2024. Fans will not, however, be seeing Captain Shepard and the crew of the Normandy, nor will they get to witness the seismic battle between the intergalactic Citadel species and the dormant, techno-organic Eldritch beings known as the Reapers. Amazon revealed last year that the show would take place after the original trilogy, focusing on a new story with a new cast of characters. That makes sense, considering Commander Shepard’s story relies so heavily on player interactivity, but new reports suggest that the adaptation isn’t just shying away from Shepard’s story, but is trying to make the world more accessible to those who didn’t play the games.
