Mass Effect 5 Would've Been 'Special,' Says Former BioWare Dev

Ever wonder what could have been if Mass Effect 5 had actually seen the light of day? According to one former BioWare developer, we missed out on something truly special.

Tony de Waal, who spent 29 years at BioWare as a cinematic supervisor, took to LinkedIn to share his thoughts on the canceled project. He worked on everything from Mass Effect 2 to Dragon Age: The Veilguard—which he called "a herculean effort that tested the limits of even my workaholic mindset"—before moving on to Mass Effect 5. "I believe we were making something special," he wrote. "A level of autonomy and choice that no other game has been able to match."

De Waal also revealed that BioWare was paying close attention to what other studios were doing. He specifically name-dropped Larian Studios (Baldur's Gate 3) and CD Projekt Red (The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077), saying: "We saw what Larian and CD Projekt were bringing to the table with their latest offerings, and started down a path to bring Mass Effect to the next level while remaining true to the Trilogy." So the team wasn't just resting on its laurels—it was actively looking to push the franchise forward.

He closed his post with a bittersweet note: "I'm sad you won't ever get to see what we were cooking," and paid tribute to his fellow developers as "some of the most talented people I've had the pleasure of working with throughout my career."

But de Waal isn't the only BioWare veteran singing the praises of the canceled project. Over on X, Derek Künsken, who describes himself as both a contract writer and senior writer on staff at BioWare, echoed the sentiment. He couldn't share much, but confirmed he was working on the new Mass Effect title and said "what we were cooking was really cool." If that's not a tease, I don't know what is.

It's disappointing to know we won't get to experience what the devs had in store—especially after hearing how amazing it might have been. With BioWare's closure following the EA buyout, Mass Effect 5 is no more, and the future of the franchise is uncertain. Former leads have suggested EA could sell the rights to Mass Effect and Dragon Age, or just as easily "bury them in the vault." Either way, it's a tough pill to swallow for fans.

What do you think? Were you looking forward to Mass Effect 5, or does this news make you want to replay the original trilogy? Let us know in the comments!