Mass Effect 4 Story Doesn’t Relate to Shepard Trilogy “At All, Whatsoever”

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Lee Bradley

Mass Effect 4’s story will not touch upon the events of the original story in the slightest, BioWare has revealed.

Discussing the upcoming sci-fi RPG’s plot with Complex, Mass Effect 3 writer Marc Walters said, “Well, I can’t get into details, but the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn’t relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever.

“That’s what we’ve been deciding for a while. But throughout it all, one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can’t just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core. Just without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions.”

So that’s that. Mass Effect 4 truly represents a fresh start for the series, while still existing within one of the most intricately created universes in video game history. It’ll be fascinating to see what they come up with.

Comments
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  • Whilst that's a bit of a shame, I think it's the most sensible idea to be honest. Fingers crossed they actually give us a proper RPG again (frankly the same goes for DA:I).
  • Good idea! Love this series.
  • Awesome, looking forward to it.
  • I would welcome a prequel set during the First Contact wars and done in the style of ME 1
  • So? Shepard's story is done. Duh. New protagonist time. Just stop with the nickel & diming and I'll be happy.
  • @#5, Amen to that! I wouldn't want a prequel. I would prefer to see a new story in the changed galaxy based off the events of the first trilogy.
  • @4 As cool as that would be the problem is the first contact war really wasn't that substantial, only a couple of hundred humans died and a few more turians. I don't think there'd be enough content to make an entire game. I'll definitely be picking this up though whenever this eventually comes out.
  • A new story would be welcome, rather than just covering old ground or making it feel like a spin off. If its events after Shepard, then maybe an Easter egg, referencing past events could be added, but nothing that takes up a huge portion of the game.
  • Then what did the breath at the end of the red "destroy" ending mean if there's not going to be any damn mention of it ever again
  • I don't see how it's possible not to, the only way I can even imagine a story where the events of the original trilogy aren't an issue is a prequel or alternate universe? The story of the first trilogy was a galaxy changing event that you were at the centre of, I can't see any other way it couldn't be mentioned or referenced!
  • Same universe but brand new characters is totally fine by me. We can still most likely look forward to some Shep' easter eggs, though.
  • What if ME4 is about a different race besides the humans. :o
  • I was hoping there'll be some crossovers, if not only because some of the characters were awesome. Sounds like they're ditching everyone though.
  • Mass Effect: Origins. Let us choose what race to play as!
  • What everyone is failing to grasp is that this could be a new story a few thousand years after the events of the first trilogy. The galaxy has found a new means of FTL travel, so you can now move across the galaxy just like in the other games, and since it is a few thousand years in the future what happened may still be remember and pasted down but most of the facts about the event have been lost with time. So everyone knows what happened but just not everything that happened to cause it.
  • So the new games do not have to be a prequel in order to not have anything to do with the Shepard story. These are just my thoughts but i could always be wrong.
  • @7 yeah tbh if they were gonna go that route the Rachni wars would make a lot more sense since they were a lot longer involved more races and had a lot of tough choices involved however the way he said what he dd makes me thing it will have very little to do with anything mentioned in the first games @15 yeah like the elder scroll games, the ones before always happen so long a go that they're basically legends and all the possible choices are basically just other peoples interpretations
  • I'm down with that idea. Hopefully they allow you to choose an alien race as your main protagonist in ME4.
  • Ok im fine with that but theres one thing. Wtf was the point of showing shepherd taking a breath after beating the game then?
  • I'd love to see a game in which you play as Anderson and you could uncover the Saren plot during that game. That'd be fun. Then again, maybe they shouldn't tie it into anything from the other three games. Much as I like Mass Effect, I don't always need a direct sequel to events. Still, it makes you wonder what they will do with it, if the Reapers are dead and all that jazz.
  • I agree with #17. I think either the Rachni Wars or play through the events leading up to the formation of the Citadel Council.
  • Yeah if it doesn't mention Shepherd at all then it has to be a prequel. With the amount of recognition he got he will be in most history books.
  • @15 Why? The new ending in ME3 had all the Mass Effect relays not be destroyed. You could still move freely from one system to another after the events of ME3. And if there's zero mention of Shepard, sounds like it's set before the events of the first game (or far in the future). That's a way of not having to deal with file imports for next generation consoles. Oh well.. There goes my hopes of a new Mass Effect game where you play as a fighter pilot during the ME Trilogy. Making us watch those space battles instead of letting us fly a ship and blowing stuff up was torture. It's like "Hey cool, space battles, but you're not allowed participating!".
  • I'd like to see something a good few hundred years (or more) after the original trilogy....maybe the Yahg have a part to play?
  • Man i don't envy them with this task at all, what a tough game to get right ME4, i see a 100% fail or 100% masterpiece and nothing in between, good luck guys.
  • If the story is still as deep and engaging AND the gameplay itself is up to par with ME3, then I'm all in!
  • They basically HAVE to do a prequel or have to jump WAY into the future. Because Shepard's end-story affects the entire galaxy / universe / what have you.
  • They say it won't feel like a spinoff, but it will. Another great franchise down the drain. Why is this necessary?
  • They don't have to do a prequel or in the future, they can set it in different story universe. Each trilogy is its own story and this removes any baggage from the last trilogy.
  • Why call it Mass Effect 4 if the story in it doesn't relate to the Shepard Trilogy?
  • Why is this news. They've said this ten times already.
  • I would like to see a story about the first time the different species came together and the events that made them to make the council. Also the first time humans made contact with them and how they have be accepted in this alliance. Maybe a Crogan playable character during the genophage events would be awesome. A new trilogy ... cannot wait :-)
  • No Garrus makes me a sad panda.
  • @1 I still to this day do not get the gripes with ME3-it was awesome, and yes it was an RPG. If there ever was a Bioware "RPG" that wasn't it was DAII. Yet no one seems to bitch about it.
  • I wish them the best of luck cause I loved the first 3 but I won't hold out hope for a story that makes no mention of a galaxy changing event from a trilogy that was nothing but mentions of galaxy changing events
  • @34 - DAII got a LOT of bad press. I enjoyed the game, but I had a list of things that I felt were wrong with it. The title being one of them. ME4 gonna be six hours long with the emphasis on PVP?
  • FYI it's Mac Walters, not Marc. But he's a bit of a condescending douchebag anyway, so it'll be good for him to realise that people don't know his name.
  • Pretty much has to be a prequel. Even deep into the future, Shepard's choices affect the galaxy, FOREVER. Synthesis means everyone will be immortal and green lined. Destruction means the Geth are forever gone. Control means the Reapers will still be around as galactic protectors. Then there are the other decisions, genophage, rachnai, etc. For it to not relate to Shepard at all, it will have to be a prequel.
  • I don't want to be that guy who mentions Indoctrination Theory, but... it would have been my dream had they went with it and concluded the Shepard story in Mass Effect 4. But they already ruled it out sometime ago... Nonetheless, as some have already posted, I can only really see this being a prequel so as to avoid choosing a canonical ending. Unless ME4 is set so far into the future that the events of ME3 are more or less forgotten and their effects are not important.
  • Would you please stop calling ME a RPG...This is a slap in the face of all those who loves RPG. It stopped to be a RPG after ME1. It's now a dumped down, cover based 3rd person action shooter, like EA always wanted. I'm quite sure we will see more of the "wonderful" Ingame Micro Transactions we saw in Dead Space 3 lately.
  • @23 "The new ending in ME3 had all the Mass Effect relays not be destroyed. You could still move freely from one system to another after the events of ME3." That is just one of the possible endings. I do not know if Bioware has come out and stated which one of the possible endings is considered cannon, and is the actual ending as far as the Mass Effect Universe goes. But in one of the endings all the mass relays are destoryed. So that is why I said what I said.
  • Then why have a 4 ?!?? That would be like halo 4 having not had the chief as the protagonist... Geeze
  • You guys do realise that Mass Effect "4" is likely a placeholder name?
  • @43 even if it isnt there are a lot of franchises with different main characters for the games especially RPGs... final fantasy for example, 14 main series games all with different protagonists set in different universes with completely unrelated stories @36 yeah i agree DA2 gets alot of stuff unfairly thrown at it where people completely ignore the glaring holes in it, in this case it is an RPG... all the RPG elements are there and actually hold up pretty well
  • All I really want in ME4 is the choice to customize your character! I want to be able to create my own Krogan or Turian guy/gal.
  • I never understood why people hated the indoctrination theory. Every time I notice someone bring it up I always see comments like: "You're retarded" or "The extended ending completely disproves the theory". Maybe I am stupid, but the extended ending only made the indoctrination theory more sound, especially considering that Shepard still takes a breath after the destruction ending. Besides the point, a new ME would be very much welcome. My favorite of the series was ME2, while ME3 had better action, I just feel more nostalgic when it comes to ME2 because I spent the most time with it. ME1 definitely had more RPG elements to it, but I feel that ME2 had the better story, where ME3 was all around epic.
  • @46 because its a fanfic and nothing more, just fans trying to string things together in a way that sounds ok to make up for the shit job bioware did on the actual ending its not that most think its a bad idea, its one of the best thought out things like that around but still its not the real story
  • @46 That's why fans hated the ending because its only a theory and not an actual ending.If Bioware made a ending that made sense and all your choices from ME1 actually made a difference then people wouldn't have to make up there own theory's. Its like post @47 says if the ending wasn't so shit nobody would care about theory's. About the topic off the new game I hope its based after ME3,maybe your Shepherds child are something along those lines,as long as its not based during the Shepherd campaign because now we know what happens what would be the point.
  • I don't care what they do. It'll be amazing in my eyes. Mass effect can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. Just hope it comes out on 360 but I will literally get xbox One just for this game.
  • So this could be a reboot. Definitely not going to buy this day one.
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