After hearing the disappointing news that EA has shuttered BioWare, putting an end to two of my favorite RPG franchises—Mass Effect and Dragon Age—I have been, like so many other players, feeling pretty bummed out. But I consoled myself with the fact that, given the environment at BioWare in recent years, the now-canceled Mass Effect 5 probably wouldn't be that good anyway.

Like many players, I enjoyed the Mass Effect trilogy, but felt that Mass Effect: Andromeda fell short. Similarly, BioWare's other recent titles—Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard—struggled with messy development cycles marked by frequent changes in direction, mixed messages from higher-ups at EA, constant staff turnover, and other issues that ultimately led to an underwhelming gaming experience. After playing Veilguard, which felt nothing like the Dragon Age games I had grown to love, my hopes weren't too high for Mass Effect 5. The news of its cancellation (and BioWare's subsequent shutdown) was a huge bummer, though I'd rather Mass Effect go out on a relatively high note than see it get the Veilguard treatment. But then I saw the trailer.

Uploaded to Reddit earlier today, the trailer has not been verified as real by BioWare, but it doesn't appear to bear any hallmarks of generative AI, and a short message before the trailer begins implies it was planned to debut at a later date—perhaps N7 Day, or The Game Awards.

"The following is in-engine footage from our small team," reads the text displayed before the trailer begins.

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