A roughly two-minute trailer titled Mass Effect Universe leaked online on October 22, one day after EA closed BioWare and ended work on the next Mass Effect. It is leaked footage that EA has not verified, and EA had not commented on it when this story was published (01:00 UTC, October 23). Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says his sources confirm it is a real trailer for the game BioWare was making until the closure, Kotaku reports.
We won’t link to or embed the video. This post covers what the reporting says the trailer shows and what it tells us about the cancelled game. For the closure itself, see our main story: EA is closing BioWare and cancelling the next Mass Effect.
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Is the leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer real?
PC Gamer called its authenticity unknown when the footage appeared but saw “no obvious AI telltales.” Destructoid wrote that it “certainly doesn’t look to be AI-generated.” Kotaku and Destructoid later added Schreier’s confirmation, which he posted at about 17:30 UTC on October 22. Rock Paper Shotgun describes it as a trailer “meant for internal use only” and says IGN also appears to have verified it.
Kotaku says it asked EA for comment and had heard nothing back. So a credible reporter has vouched for the footage, but the publisher has not confirmed it.
The Citadel battle from the original trilogy. Kotaku notes Mass Effect Universe was reportedly set long after these events. Image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
What the trailer shows, according to the outlets
- A pre-production disclaimer. The video opens with a card that reads “The following is in-engine footage from our small team. It uses our pre-production assets,” as quoted by Destructoid and Rock Paper Shotgun.
- A new lead, not Shepard. Kotaku describes a man in the N7 trench coat from earlier teasers who says he left the Alliance military for a “new line of work.” Kotaku compares him to a galactic James Bond. PC Gamer noticed there’s no N7 logo on his uniform.
- Liara T’Soni returns. Kotaku, Destructoid and Rock Paper Shotgun all describe the bar scene: an Asari threatens the hero, Liara steps in, and a biotic brawl breaks out before the title card. Destructoid says the voice sounds like Liara’s actress, Ali Hillis, and PC Gamer staff also think it’s Liara’s real voice.
- A crew and a smaller ship. In its shot-by-shot breakdown, Kotaku points to a ship much smaller than the Normandy, a Milky Way galaxy map, a Krogan and a Quarian squadmate, and a stop that looks like Illium. Polygon reports fans are excited about what could have been the series’ first male Quarian companion.
The outlets also agree that the footage is rough in places, as the disclaimer warns. Kotaku says some of the action looks less polished than the rest.
What the leak means for Mass Effect
The biggest takeaway is that the project was further along than EA’s wording suggested. EA’s letter spoke of “a small team” in “early-development.” Yet a finished-looking, in-engine trailer existed. Kotaku and Destructoid both suggest it may have been meant for N7 Day on November 7, but neither offers evidence, so that remains speculation.
It also fits what the people who made the game have said on the record. Novelist Catherynne M. Valente replied to a post about the closure: “We did figure it out. We were working on a great game. Just saying,” IGN reports. Science fiction author Derek Künsken said he had worked on the game on and off for five years, pitching story and lore with Valente, and that “what we were cooking was really cool.” BioWare cinematics veteran Tony de Waal wrote on LinkedIn that the team was aiming for “a level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match,” Eurogamer reports.
Kotaku spotted Drell, Salarians, Turians, Volus and more in the leaked trailer's bar. Pictured: Thane in Mass Effect 2. Image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
The leak doesn’t bring the game back. EA still owns Mass Effect, and that matters as it narrows its focus to fewer, bigger franchises (see our report on the reported Star Wars Battlefront project at Respawn and DICE). For now, the only active Mass Effect project is on TV. Sources inside Prime Video told IGN that Amazon MGM Studios’ live-action series is still in development, with its creative team still attached. The show has no release date and is set after the original trilogy. Players who want to go back to the galaxy now have the 2021 remaster (our archive covers Mass Effect Legendary Edition’s day-one patch).
What’s next
Watch for three things: whether EA or former BioWare staff comment on the footage, whether Künsken shares more once he knows what he’s allowed to say, as he hopes to, and any word from EA about Mass Effect’s future. We’ll update this story if EA responds.
Sources: Kotaku, Kotaku (breakdown), Polygon, PC Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun, Destructoid, Eurogamer, IGN (writers), IGN (TV series).
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Featured image: Electronic Arts / BioWare
