The Next Mass Effect Will Have 'Photorealistic' Art Style and 'Mature' Tone, Project Director Says

The next Mass Effect game was revealed at The Game Awards 2020.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 30 October 2024 14:22 IST

The Next Mass Effect Will Have 'Photorealistic' Art Style and 'Mature' Tone, Project Director Says

Photo Credit: BioWare

The next Mass Effect game does not have a release date yet

Highlights

Dragon Age: The Veilguard arrives October 31 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series S/X
BioWare has not shared details about the next Mass Effect game
Mass Effect 5 will feature a photorealistic visual style

BioWare is all set to launch Dragon Age: The Veilguard on October 31 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. Ahead of its release, the game's character design, that favour a slightly cartoonish style, have proven to be divisive among fans. BioWare has now commented on the planned visual style of the next Mass Effect game currently in development at the studio. Contrary to Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the sci-fi RPG will follow a more “photorealistic” and mature visual style and tone.

Mass Effect 5 Art Style Will be 'Mature'

The update on the art style of the next Mass Effect title comes from project director and executive producer Michael Gamble. In his comments made on X (formerly Twitter) Tuesday, Gamble said the approach to making the next Mass Effect was different from Dragon Age.

“Lots of people asking me about Mass Effect now that Veilguard reviews are out, and Oct 31 is close,” Gamble said. “Both are from the studio, but Mass Effect is Mass Effect. How you bring a Sci Fi RPG to life is different than other genres or IPs...and has to have different kinds of love,” he added.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard PC Specs Revealed, No Third-Party DRM Confirmed

Lots of people asking me about Mass Effect now that Veilguard reviews are out, and Oct 31 is close.

Both are from the studio, but Mass Effect is Mass Effect. How you bring a Sci Fi RPG to life is different than other genres or IPs...and has to have different kinds of love.
— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) October 28, 2024

In a reply to the post, Gamble confirmed that the in-development Mass Effect game will feature a more realistic and grounded visual style and themes.

“Regarding tone questions: Mass Effect will maintain the mature tone of the original Trilogy. This is all I'm gonna say for now,” he said.

Gamble, who is leading the team working on the next Mass Effect game, also addressed comments about characters in Dragon Age: The Veilguard evoking a Pixar aesthetic. The RPG's art style for its characters is a departure from the previous Dragon Age titles, that featured a grittier visual style. Gamble said that the next Mass Effect game will not abandon realism. “I'm not sure I agree with the Pixar thing, but Mass Effect is photorealistic and will be as long as i'm running it,” he said.

The next chapter in the Mass Effect franchise was revealed with a teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2020. Mass Effect 5 does not yet have an official title or a release date. The last game in the series was Mass Effect: Andromeda, released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One in 2017.

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Further reading: Mass Effect 5, Mass Effect, BioWare, Dragon Age The Veilguard

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More