Is Mass Effect Andromeda’s Absence At Gamescom A Cause For Concern?

News broke out earlier this week that Mass Effect Andromeda will not be shown off at Gamescom this year in any capacity, whether on the showfloor, or behind closed doors. Bemusingly enough, this news also sparked off a round of panic about the potential state that the game might be in, and whether or not it will even be able to meet its projected release window of March 2017, which Bioware are very obstinately sticking to.

Now, if you’ve been following my Mass Effect features every week, you all already know that I am only too happy to express skepticism about the potential for this game actually releasing when EA and Bioware say that it will- but I find it puzzling that people are freaking out about this no-show at Gamescom, when Bioware had already basically told us beforehand that it would not be shown off at any event until November. All the way back in June, Bioware had made it clear that the next time we actually hear anything substantial about the game will be in November, on N7 Day, November 7- so why, exactly, is a Gamescom no-show, which naturally follows from what Bioware had already said, a cause for concern?

I mean, I’m all with you all in expressing skepticism and cynicism about this game actually launching by March- we’re in the same boat on that one. But it skipping out Gamescom is not an aberration, or evidence in favor of that, it is simply in keeping with what Bioware had already told us back in June.

Now, if the game fails to have a substantial showing even in November, which was promised to us? Then I think it’s time for all of us to start panicking.