Spoilers for the Mass Effect Trilogy follow.
Mass Effect stars Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer would love to play Commander Shepard again in the next entry in the series, though they seemingly haven’t been contacted by BioWare in order to do so yet. Both Commander Shepard actors loved the role and would be back to do another Mass Effect if the opportunity presented itself.
Over the last couple of decades, few original science fiction settings in gaming have reached such legendary acclaim as the Mass Effect trilogy. The ending of Mass Effect 3 was divisive among many, but the trilogy itself has become an iconic tale in no small part due to Commander Shepard, the partially-customizable main character of the third-person shooter. Back in 2020, BioWare confirmed another Mass Effect game was coming, though precious little has come out about it in the following years.
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Mass Effect Stars Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer Want to Play Commander Shepard Again
Of course, one of the big questions on everyone’s minds is whether Commander Shepard will be back – and it turns out, it is one the protagonist’s actors share as well. Prolific voice actors Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, the female and male voice actors for Shepard, recently appeared on Fall Damage to respond to various YouTube comments from fans. Right off the bat, while musing on Shepard’s potential survival in the Destruction ending, Hale said, “I invite everyone out there to email the powers that be who make these games and say, ‘Give us more Shepard, please,’ because we will be there. Because we should not go.” She went on to say, “I would be there with bells on if they asked us to play Shepard again.”
Meer mirrored her enthusiasm, albeit with false seriousness, saying that he agreed, “but only under any circumstances.” It seems that if BioWare wants the first Human Spectre to return in the next game, it will have little trouble getting both Hale and Meer back in the studio to play Shepard in the next Mass Effect.
I invite everyone out there to email the powers that be who make these games and say, ‘Give us more Shepard, please,’ because we will be there. Because we should not go. I would be there with bells on if they asked us to play Shepard again.
However, the fact that they were so open about their eagerness to theoretically return to Mass Effect as Shepard almost certainly means they have not been approached yet. While this could simply be because BioWare hasn’t gotten to the stages of development where voice acting is being recorded, it could also mean that Shepard simply isn’t going to be coming back. Regardless, the next Mass Effect project is still likely a long way off, so it may be a while before fans find out for sure.
What Do We Actually Know About the Next Mass Effect?
Not much is actually known about the next Mass Effect game – not even a title nor whether it would technically be Mass Effect 4 or 5, considering Andromeda. However, there have still been a couple of interesting tidbits that players have seen, including some concept art shared by former BioWare game director Casey Hudson in 2019. That said, the first actual morsel came in the form of a trailer during The Game Awards 2020, shortly after Hudson’s departure. Featuring Liara pulling an N7 logo from wreckage in the snow, this teaser confirmed it would be taking place after Mass Effect 3, and likely would not be a sequel to Andromeda, which happens 600 years afterward in a different galaxy. Even so, the twin galaxies and quotes from Andromeda during the trailer suggest it could still involve some aspects of the spinoff as well.
Then, on N7 day this year, BioWare executive producer Mike Gamble shared a new piece of concept art starring a group of Krogan with guns blazing. Titled “Civil War,” Gamble confirmed this was not an image of the past, but rather, of the future – potentially teasing a plot point of the next Mass Effect game in the process.
That said, BioWare was among the many studios to experience severe layoffs this year, including Mass Effect veterans like writer Trick Weekes (Mass Effect trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Inquisition, and Veilguard) and editor Karin Weekes (Mass Effect 2, 3, and Andromeda, Dragon Age: Origins, 2, and Inquisition, Anthem, and SWTOR). Even so, development on the next game continues with a small team of Mass Effect veterans who have been retained or rehired, including Parrish Ley and Derek Watts, the game’s original cinematic and art directors, respectively. It may be some time before fans see the next Mass Effect game, but it at least seems like it is still happening for now.
- Released
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March 6, 2012
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 3