Depending on what decision you made at the end of Bioware’s Mass Effect 3, you could fundamentally change the entire galaxy. It’s a pretty hefty decision, one with a huge impact and while Mass Effect Andromeda will acknowledge the results of Mass Effect 3, it won’t affect the former in a big way according to studio head Aaryn Flynn.
In conversation with Eurogamer, Flynn noted that Mass Effect 3’s endings would be “acknowledged”. However, Flynn states, “I think that’s where we want to leave it for now. We want [Andromeda] to be a new story and it would be very hard to say it’s a new story, but also that you need to understand how [the previous trilogy] ended.”
With Andromeda taking place in a new galaxy, it allows the series’ lore to exist while still allowing for a new story. Creative director Mac Walters noted that, “It’s important for us to have elements from the [original trilogy] for fans to have in the background. Ultimately this is intended to be a fresh story, but we want to have things for people to find and go, ‘Oh, I remember that character.’
“There’s a coalition [of Milky Way races]. We needed to find a way to make sure certain species you’re familiar with come along with you on your journey to meet new ones. As in the tradition of Mass Effect, there will be certain people working together happily, and certain people working together less happily.”
Mass Effect Andromeda is out in early 2017 and will reportedly have more information coming this Fall.