BioWare is working on a new game from one of its "most prestigious franchises"
Please be Mass Effect
BioWare has posted a job listing that confirms the studio is working on a new game that will bring back one of its "most prestigious franchises."
As first spotted by SegmentNext, the EA job listing calls for a technical director who will be the "most senior engineering lead on the next major title in one of BioWare’s most prestigious franchises." Interestingly, the job post also details that the role will require someone who's experienced with "developing, debugging and optimizing AAA multiplayer games on PC or console."
The mention of "one of BioWare's most prestigious franchises" could refer to the development of a new Mass Effect game. It seems even more probable since there have already been reports that BioWare Edmonton is working on a new Mass Effect game led by Mike Gamble. Gamble worked on the original Mass Effect trilogy, as well as Mass Effect: Andromeda, and his rather tantalising Twitter bio also confirms he's the project director for an unannounced BioWare title.
I, like many others, have been yearning for a Mass Effect trilogy remaster, but the way the job listing states the studio is working on the "next title" does suggest this is a new game. The mention of multiplayer could also lend to the idea that we'll see Mass Effect make a big return since both Mass Effect 3 and Andromeda included a multiplayer mode.
Of course, I can't help but hope the listing might possibly be referring to Dragon Age 4. We've known for some time that the game is in the works, but reports suggest we won't see it until April 2022 at the earliest. Dragon Age 4 may also have some kind of multiplayer feature included since Dragon Age: Inquisition introduced a multiplayer mode to the series.
BioWare could also completely surprise us all with a sequel to Jade Empire. As one of BioWare's older RPG's, Jade Empire released back in 2005 and was originally an Xbox exclusive. At this stage, nothing is certain, but Jade Empire does seem like the least likely to make a comeback.
The listing doesn't make a mention of any next-gen tech, but if it is in the process of starting development, it would likely land on the PS5 and Xbox Series X in future. Of course, this is all speculation, and we can't say if it's a Mass Effect game for certain, but it's exciting to know something's in the pipeline nonetheless.
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I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.