Mass Effect 5 gameplay teaser leaves fans divided over major feature

Whether or not we actually see any of Mass Effect 5 this year, it should still be an exciting one for fans.

Why? Well, BioWare is no longer focused on Dragon Age: The Veilguard with the game having launched last October.

Certainly, The Veilguard will continue to be supported and I’m imagining there’ll be some post-launch content on the way eventually.

What I doubt though is that the game remains the studio’s prime focus.

With the game having successfully launched, it’s likely that manpower will have been shifted across to the studio’s next game, Mass Effect 5 – something that’s quietly been in development since 2020.

That being said, it’s widely assumed that the vast majority of those five years will have been spent in pre-production.

You see, Mass Effect 5 seemingly went to The Elder Scrolls VI school of being announced too early.

With the dev count now likely increasing though, this year should bring some real substantial progress behind the scenes, even if that’s not progress we’re privy to.

I should clarify that the game hasn’t officially been titled Mass Effect 5 but that is colloquially what it is referred to as.

It’s assumed to follow on from Mass Effect 3 whilst being the fifth game overall in the series.

I’ll be surprised if BioWare drops an update before this November’s annual N7 Day but that hasn’t stopped eagle-eyed fans from revisiting old materials to dig up fresh clues.

As reported by Eurogamer, Twitter user Kalaelizabeth is convinced that Mass Effect 5 will bring back the series’ Paragon/Renegade system after spotting a nod in one of the game’s teaser images.

The image was originally posted by BioWare dev Michael Gamble, who’s leading the charge on the development of the next game, in celebration of 2023’s N7 day.

Yet it’s only now, all this time later, that fans are uncovering a potential hidden message within the image which shows a masked individual in N7 uniform.

As pointed out by Kalaelizabeth, the paragon symbol can be overlaid, fitting within the confines of the masked individual’s jacket.

You can take a look for yourself below.

This is especially interesting as Gamble revealed that “more people played Paragon”.

Is this concrete proof that the Renegade/Paragon system is returning? I’d urge you to treat such a theory with caution.

Admittedly, yes, this character’s jacket is seemingly very purposefully shaped, and it does bear a striking resemblance to the Paragon symbol but this could simply be a nod to the way in which the vast majority of players approached the game.