‘Mass Effect 4’ Devs Confirm That They Will Focus On Current Gen Consoles And PC

Mass Effect 4 Concept Art — Concept art for the next “Mass Effect” game Electronic Arts (https://www.facebook.com/masseffect)

Every single Frostbite Engine-powered game released by Electronic Arts thus far has also graced the last-gen consoles, namely, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. While developers might argue otherwise publicly, in private most will agree that concessions need to be made in order to allow for the technological differences between the 7th and 8th generation of consoles. Thankfully, BioWare has revealed that “Mass Effect 4” will focus entirely on the more powerful hardware afforded by PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The news comes via a series of tweets from senior development director of the “Mass Effect” franchise, Chris Wynn. In the tweets picked up by GamingBolt, Wynn responded to a question from a fan, asking whether it was possible that the next “Mass Effect” might come to PS Vita, by stating that the team was "focused on getting the most out the current crop of hardware.” Creative Director Mac Walters went on to assure another fan that “Mass Effect 4” was looking great on PC, as he had only just finished reviewing a PC build of the game.

The developer also turned up the hype on its new and unannounced IP, with several team members tweeting about the success of a recently completed milestone review. Senior Producer Jonathan Warner and writer Jay Watamaniuk both expressed their enthusiasm for the project, stating that even at this early stage, the secret project looked really cool.

The tweets follow recent requests from the development team for fan feedback on the next “Mass Effect” game. As noted by Geek Snack, Mac Walters took to Twitter to find out what fans wanted most. High on the list of requests was a feature similar to the Nemesis system from 2014’s “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor,” a request Walters hailed. Gamers also wanted to see more repercussions to the choices they make during dialogue as well as an increased number of hairstyles and customisation options.

While no release date has yet been confirmed for “Mass Effect 4,” gamers will be hoping for a surprise announcement at this year’s E3, where Electronic Arts will host a special publisher conference. As noted by Eurogamer, EA and BioWare chose to focus on the completion of “Dragon Age: Inquisition” through 2014 and have only recently begun to turn their focus to the next “Mass Effect.”