Rumor: Mass Effect trilogy remaster will be out before next April

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Electronic Arts said yesterday that an 'HD title' will be announced, and the word on the street is that it's Mass Effect.

Mass Effect
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)

Electronic Arts said yesterday that it intends to release 14 new games during the next fiscal year, which runs until the end of March 2021. Titles weren't revealed, although four were confirmed as sports games—so, new Madden, new FIFA, new NHL, and a mysterious fourth—and there will also be mobile games in the mix, some indie stuff from partnered developers (which doesn't really fit any definition of "indie" that I'm aware of, but never mind), some new IP, and "an additional EA HD title."

It was all fairly conventional and unremarkable as these things go, but got more interesting today when VentureBeat reported that the HD title in question will in fact be a remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy. There's no more to it than that, but it's an entirely unambiguous statement—"that HD remaster of an EA game is the Mass Effect Trilogy"—and VentureBeat's Jeff Grubb was confident enough in it that he tweeted specifically to draw attention to the statement.

The report is unverified, but it's hardly far-fetched. The Mass Effect trilogy wrapped up in 2012—an eternity ago for all practical purposes—and the one game we've had since then, Mass Effect: Andromeda, is best forgotten. In fact, that may be part of the strategy at play here. A report surfaced in late 2019 that a new Mass Effect was in "very early development," and what better way to remind people of just how magical Mass Effect was than by dropping a remastered trilogy ahead the big comeback announcement?

There's also the fact that an awful lot of us will line up to throw money at it, which I'm sure is being factored into the decision-making process as well. I've emailed Electronic Arts to inquire about the rumor, and will update if I receive a reply.

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.