Last year, Electronic Arts VP Patrick Soderlund told Game Informer that the company was focused on developing new properties, not remastering old ones like, say, Mass Effect. But times have changed, and in a new interview from Gamescom, Soderlund strongly hinted that a Mass Effect redo is likely to happen.
“What's changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke,” he said, when asked about the possibility of a Mass Effect trilogy redo. “There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can't announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully.”
Activision, you'll recall, announced earlier this year that a remastered version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be released in November alongside (but, sadly, not separate from) COD: Infinite Warfare. That news, I think, caused at least as much of a stir as the reveal of the brand-new game.
EA has to be careful about which brands it chooses to remake, and ensure that they're redone properly, so players “feel that it's the same game but it feels so much better in this new shape and form,” Soderlund said. “There have been titles that have come out that have done it really well, and there have been others that maybe haven't done it so well. We just want to make sure that we stay in the 'done it really well' camp."
As hard as it is to believe, the original Mass Effect is pushing ten years old, which makes it a prime candidate for a fresh coat of paint—and especially so with Mass Effect: Andromeda waiting in the wings. But there are plenty of other EA properties that could do with the same sort of treatment, like Black and White or Battlefield 2142; hell, I'd pay good money for a Command & Conquer: Renegade remake. I'm not going to hold my breath, though.
Speaking of Mass Effect, the "franchise" (although it's really just the first two parts, because of that whole thing with Origin) is on sale on Steam for 85 percent off until August 19.
