Mass Effect 5's Latest Official Update Is Promising

Published Sep 16, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Tom Wilson is a Gaming Features Writer at Screen Rant. Over the past five years, Tom has worked as the Editor-in-Chief at The Game Crater, as a Staff Writer for GamingIntel, a List Writer at TheGamer, and, of course, as a Senior Writer at ScreenRant. Tom has experience writing reviews, guides, news, and features, and has been responsible for teams of writers, training them and editing their work.

Tom graduated with a Masters in Multimedia Journalism, and has since gone on to build up his portfolio of games journalism work.

Mass Effect feels like one of those franchises that should be far bigger and much further along than it is. The last game in the series was 2017's Andromeda, which, while not without merit, is not fondly remembered in the same way the original trilogy still is. Before that was 2012's Mass Effect 3, meaning it has been nearly a decade since Andromeda and 14 years since ME3 was released. That's startling, especially for a series that was once a cultural juggernaut, a highly influential title within the RPG genre, and the blueprint for even the likes of Fallout 4.

Of course, we are getting a new entry in the Mass Effect series, but while it may have once seemed like an appealing prospect, now the mere idea of Mass Effect 5 seems precarious at best. With BioWare floundering after numerous critical failures shattered its reputation, it seems as if the future of the company rests entirely on the shoulders of Mass Effect 5. Additionally, EA's rocky circumstances have further muddied the waters. However, amidst all this turmoil, it seems as if there's a ray of hope that makes it feel as if Mass Effect 5 could turn everything around.

Mass Effect 5 Has Everything Going Against It

It is fair to say that Mass Effect 5 has absolutely everything going against it. Not only is it being made during a period in which BioWare's future seems inherently rocky at best (owing to the critical and commercial failures of Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, not to mention Andromeda's aforementioned inability to rouse confidence in even the most dogmatic of fans), but it is also being produced amidst the recent controversial buyout of EA.

EA recently went private after Saudi Arabia's sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) and assorted investors (including the highly controversial investment firm, Affinity Partners) bought it out for an eye-watering $55 billion. Naturally, this has put every developer under EA's banner under the spotlight, with jobs and entire development teams likely on the chopping block in order to recoup costs and make the company profitable.

Of course, the buyout doesn't inherently mean that BioWare, one of EA's biggest developers in terms of recognizable IP and previous success record, will be shut down immediately. However, it is a distinct possibility that BioWare is shut down altogether, or at least gutted significantly, a reality that former EA senior manager Emmanuel Rosier believes is just around the corner. In an interview with PC Gamer, Rosier explained that he doesn't believe BioWare will survive the buyout, stating,

"In the middle, you have these IPs like the BioWare IPs. They've been struggling as a studio, as a brand have been struggling in recent years, and I don't know if they will keep funding that one. I think that's the biggest question mark for me."

Rosier's comments are concerning, to say the least, and shed a little light on a potentially harsh reality that BioWare's consistent critical and commercial flops have very much put a target on its back. It's also been a fairly common occurrence within the gaming industry as of late, with major studios that once felt untouchable and had produced award-winning and commercially successful work being shut down at the drop of a hat. However, as potentially disastrous as this may all be, there is a sliver of hope on the horizon.

Against All Odds, We Might Just Get Mass Effect 5

There is still every chance that we get Mass Effect 5 eventually. Back in April 2026, BioWare project director/executive producer Michael Gamble responded to a fan's question about the progress of Mass Effect 5 by stating, "Just busy workin [sic]. Not a lot of time for tease." Of course, this was long after the EA buyout was announced, and shortly before it was completed in August. It is as much confirmation as we've had that Mass Effect 5 is still in development, and likely as much as we'll get for quite some time.

Still, it's worth clinging to. While Gamble is unlikely to say anything negative about the game's production, he also doesn't have to say anything, especially to a fan online. It's also not impossible to imagine EA and its new owners are willing to give the studio one last chance at delivering a great RPG, especially in a franchise as well-known as Mass Effect. There's still a lot of love for the series, bolstered by the success of the Legendary Edition, and a market for more sci-fi RPGs, as proven by the recent hype behind games like Exodus and Osiris Reborn.

It is, however, worth going back to Rosier's comments for a little bit of perspective. In that same interview, he said that in his experience working with BioWare development "can stretch for years and years until something comes," and that it will be very easy for the new investors to "pull the plug" if they don't "have that many feelings about the history of the portfolio." There's no way of knowing how they feel about Mass Effect, but one hopes that they're willing to give it a shot, especially as there's potential for it to be a true masterpiece.

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