'Mass Effect Andromeda' latest news: BioWare shelves sci-fi game, sequel in state of uncertainty

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" continues to reel in mixed reviews despite Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson’s claims that they are content with the sci-fi series' performance. The latest, however, is that the “Mass Effect” series has been put on pause and that the developers behind it have been re-assigned to other projects.

According to Kotaku, BioWare Montreal has been transformed into a support studio following the controversy surrounding “Mass Effect: Andromeda.” The move does not, however, indicate that the game has been totally killed. Rather, BioWare is placing emphasis on other projects, which mean that a follow-up to “Mass Effect: Andromeda” is not expected in the near future.

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" outlook

Game developers tried to address the complaints about “Mass Effect: Andromeda,” an effort that may not have gained ground. The sci-fi game has drawn flak for issues in facial animations and cinematics.

Before the decision to place “Mass Effect: Andromeda” on hiatus came out, most were hoping to see tweaks in the form of patches and game updates. Despite keeping a positive outlook, it seems that Electronic Arts has finally realized that they are trying to fix something that would require major fixing.

The move does not necessarily mean that this will be the last of the “Mass Effect” series. From a business perspective, BioWare may be trying to maximize its manpower by placing them on upcoming game titles such as "Star Wars: Battlefront II" and others being assigned to help out in the creation of BioWare’s new property (codenamed "Dylan").

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" patch 1.06 released

Despite the carousel in manpower, a new patch has been released for “Mass Effect: Andromeda.” Patch 1.06 is now available, reportedly carrying changes to a wide variety of areas which were unfortunately not detailed in the patch notes.

Cinematic scenes have gotten some improvements and better game performance and stability are reportedly to be expected. Conversation options in “Mass Effect: Andromeda” will no longer be greyed out while the chest armor will now come with level requirements.

It remains to be seen if future patches will be released for “Mass Effect: Andromeda” moving forward. But even if there are, the fact that the BioWare Montreal team has been scaled down could affect future releases.

For now, looking at the fixes that patch 1.06 for “Mass Effect: Andromeda” brings will be interesting, hopefully covering a majority of the complaints players raised. This new update follows a previous one released in April, one that covered the faces of characters.