Support NeoGAF

[IbizaPocholo]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Director Wanted to Make a Sequel

Former BioWare director Mac Walters has revealed that he would have liked for the studio to create a sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Unlike the original trilogy of Mass Effect titles, Andromeda was met with a largely negative response from both fans and critics alike when it launched back in...

comicbook.com

In an extensive conversation with Eurogamer, Walters explained that he would've liked to have been given a crack at a potential Mass Effect: Andromeda 2 as he believes those at BioWare would have been able to rectify the original game's shortcomings. Walters compared this potential leap between games to what was seen from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2, and eventually Mass Effect 3. With each new installment of the original Mass Effect trilogy, Walters said that BioWare was able to take big leaps forward to refine the overall experience. In the same way, he thinks this would have also proven to be true with Andromeda 2.

"I only wish we had been able to then do a second one, because then you would have really seen that polish just like we did from [Mass Effect] to [Mass Effect 2] on the original [trilogy]," Walters said of his ambitions for an Andromeda sequel. "With Mass Effect, arguably there [are] lots of things that we didn't do right, but then we got to hone it and improve it on [Mass Effect 2], and then perfect it on [Mass Effect 3]. [...] And certainly had we shipped an Andromeda 2, I am a hundred percent certain we would have improved on all the things that people called out and then also been about to lean into the innovative things that we were trying to do as well."

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Keep the combat designer if anything. Get rid of everyone else and get some actual talented writers if you REALLY want a sequel. Also only two new races introduced in a new galaxy? Time to put in the work.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Based on these comments and my feelings for the original trilogy, Andromeda 2 and 3 would have been even worse than the first game.

 

[MagnesD3]

Mass Effect 1 is amazing, this isn't comparable.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Shouldn’t they have completed the dlc first?

 

[Freeman76]

The combat and exploration was great in Andromeda, but the cast, and 2 new races, were a joke. I did enjoy it for what it was, but could have been so much better

 

[itxaka]

Difference being that ME1 was awesome even with it's shortcomings, so the base was there to build it up better in those areas.

Andromeda fall short of mostly everything, so nobody cared about a second part

 

[Lone Wolf]

They went all in on Anthem instead of prioritizing the Mass Effect IP. How did that work out?

 

[Rush2112]

How delusional people can be.

 

[SlimySnake]

I love Andromeda's combat. The story was a weakpoint but they had laid a good base to work off of. I really liked exploring the world and the loyalty missions were still the best.

I definitely believe him when I say they wouldve created a way better sequel.

 

[Nobody_Important]

And I want a date with Anna Kendrick.


We don't always get what we want Mac.

 

[WoJ]

I liked Andromeda alot. It's certainly flawed. A sequel could have cleaned up many of the problems. Shame it won't happen.

 

[gothmog]

Maybe make a first game that's worth planning a trilogy around then?

 

[-Zelda-]

No thanks and I am glad it did not happen. Between this B team and that formerly lead developer Manveer Heir with his bigoted anti white crusade that got him fired, this game was a dumpster fire that deserved to fail. EDIT: Not sure what is going on with the second half of the image. Some sort of satire?

 

[ReBurn]

I liked Andromeda overall. The story isn't the best but the gameplay and exploration are a lot of fun. The main problem is that while it's called Mass Effect, aside from having the same races it just wasn't a Mass Effect game. There just wasn't the same atmosphere and sense of urgency. I would have been OK with a sequel.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Andromeda is a fail.
Mass Effect 1 is a masterpiece.

How dare you want a sequel to a miserable game, with so pathetic design, I mean, look at this

 

[Umbasaborne]

Thank christ he didnt get to. I love the trilogy more than anything, but if andromeda was the future of this franchise I would disregard it for the rest of time. Worse than just being a bad game, andromeda has none of the soul that makes the mass effect trilogy so fucking special.

 

[Barakov]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Director Wanted to Make a Sequel

Former BioWare director Mac Walters has revealed that he would have liked for the studio to create a sequel to Mass Effect: Andromeda. Unlike the original trilogy of Mass Effect titles, Andromeda was met with a largely negative response from both fans and critics alike when it launched back in...

comicbook.com

In an extensive conversation with Eurogamer, Walters explained that he would've liked to have been given a crack at a potential Mass Effect: Andromeda 2 as he believes those at BioWare would have been able to rectify the original game's shortcomings. Walters compared this potential leap between games to what was seen from Mass Effect to Mass Effect 2, and eventually Mass Effect 3. With each new installment of the original Mass Effect trilogy, Walters said that BioWare was able to take big leaps forward to refine the overall experience. In the same way, he thinks this would have also proven to be true with Andromeda 2.

"I only wish we had been able to then do a second one, because then you would have really seen that polish just like we did from [Mass Effect] to [Mass Effect 2] on the original [trilogy]," Walters said of his ambitions for an Andromeda sequel. "With Mass Effect, arguably there [are] lots of things that we didn't do right, but then we got to hone it and improve it on [Mass Effect 2], and then perfect it on [Mass Effect 3]. [...] And certainly had we shipped an Andromeda 2, I am a hundred percent certain we would have improved on all the things that people called out and then also been about to lean into the innovative things that we were trying to do as well."

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Hahahaha this interview makes my face tired.

From laughing.

 

[SJRB]

lmao what is this:

I only wish we had been able to then do a second one, because then you would have really seen that polish just like we did from [Mass Effect] to [Mass Effect 2] on the original [trilogy]

My brother in christ, Andromeda was a catastrophically bad game. How dare you even utter the word polish. In fact, how are you even anywhere near videogames at this point, considering you were the director that fucking nosedived one of the most beloved sci-fi RPG's ever?

 

[JimmyRustler]

To be fair, he is right. Andromeda continued the trend the series took after 1. Only I don’t think realizes this means a possible Andromeda sequel would have been absolute garbage.

To have the audacity to say the series improved with each entry…LOL

 

[MALpractice311]

Mac Walters clearly doesn't realize ME2 and 3 were successful in spite of him. The more writing and leadership he was given, the worse the stories got.

 

[SCB3]

Mac Walters clearly doesn't realize ME2 and 3 were successful in spite of him. The more writing and leadership he was given, the worse the stories got.

Drew Karpyshyn was the only reason the series story was so good, thats why it fell apart during ME3 when he was dropped

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Mass Effect: Andromeda Director Mac Walters Wanted to Make a Sequel​

 

[TheInfamousKira]

This bitch just REFUSES to stop looking like me, a male, at sixteen years of age with my hair tied back.

None of what I typed above is acceptable.

Edit: she looks like me AT 16, I'm not 16 currently. Don't @ me.

 

[lefty1117]

I really liked solving the main mysteries on the planets and see how they changed as they were being colonized. Probably my favorite aspect of that game. But you can tell it was pretty rushed, lost momentum after maybe 20 hours or so into the story. Shame, it had some really good ideas.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

I mean, I really liked Andromeda but it was kind of a mess on multiple fronts. Probably best to start with a clean slate rather than build on a shaky foundation.

 

[Drizzlehell]

 

[RAIDEN1]

Andromeda was the nadir in the franchise, an absolute shit show....respawning enemies? check...a useless Mako that had next to no defences ? Check...literally you could see enemies being created out of thin air and just literally being dropped into the game-world as if by magic....the heat is definitely on after this to see if Mass Effect 4 can restore the name to its former glory...

 

[Braag]

The best part about Andromeda is that everything took place on a different galaxy so we can just forget all about it.

 

[Salty Popsicle]

The game was ok from the 20 to 30 hours I put into it, but I got distracted by other games around the same time and never had the urge to finish it. The original ME trilogy on the other hand completely captivated me when I played those for the first time and were on a whole other level writing-wise compared to Andromeda.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

I didn’t play at launch and picked it up for $5 on PS4. I really enjoyed it. Thought the combat was fun and the planet exploration/ environments were really cool. I generally don’t ‘get into’ games stories that much as I find most of them pretty garbage, so I didn’t really see the ME:A to be that much worse than others.

Also I didn’t see much about the racist tirades from one of the devs, but sounds like he was fired so can’t just punish a studio for that.

I would have been interested in seeing a sequel.

 

[Fake]

'Give me another chance. I promisse I'll double down the mess'.


Some devs/folks need to stay out of gaming.

 

[Cashon]

Every time I try to play this, I can't get over how the one new alien group can completely communicate with the Milky Way folks, no problem. Maybe it's explained later in the game, but it just completely takes me out of it and I can't finish it.

 

[ungalo]

How can this be the same guy who wrote Mass Effect 2 (and even 3 despite the issues) ?

The guy didn't see the game was absolutely the opposite of what made Mass Effect great ?

 

[AJUMP23]

And I want a date with Anna Kendrick.


We don't always get what we want Mac.

Its not what its cracked up to be. She is a little weird, I had to break it off.

 

[The Infectious Paradox]

Sad that this game had so much potential from a gunplay perspective. But I hate the lack of enemy variety and especially those wart looking fucks

Call me crazy but I think this game would have benefitted from a darker tone with light horror elements.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Would rather have Andromeda 2 than nothing.

 

[Gorgon]

I couldn't even finish the Andromeda demo. It didn't feel at all like the originals, almost as if it was a different IP. Not crying over the lack of an Andromeda 2.

 

[YOU PC BRO?!]

Andromeda was a disaster. The only thing it had going for it was exploration and combat. The rest was so bad it almost irrevocably maligned and destroyed the franchise.

Modern Bioware has completely lost its way. They fully embraced a certain ideological perspective and enthusiastically politicised their games. Just like Dice. Dragon Age Inquisition was almost as bad as Andromeda. Paint by numbers fantasy without the charm or edginess the series was know for. Modern Bioware doesn’t want you to have fun anymore. They want encounters, decisions and choices to follow the prescribed ‘right’ path. You can either be the second coming of Jesus Christ or a bit of a dick. Their perspectives are so shallow that being a bit of a dick basically means you are evil incarnate. If you like attractive women you better learn to accept the insufferable mannish ugly women that now plague their games. Avert your gaze from Miranda’s backside you pervert, don’t you have some aliens to massacre? The only thing to look forward to in a BioWare game is the hope they bring back an attractive character from their old entries as a romance option. Much better than whatever alphabet soup eldritch horror they feature this time round.

 

[Flutta]

I love Andromeda's combat. The story was a weakpoint but they had laid a good base to work off of. I really liked exploring the world and the loyalty missions were still the best.

I definitely believe him when I say they wouldve created a way better sequel.

Really enjoyed Andromeda and want more tbh. People had to ruin it for the rest of us with their negativity sadly.

 

[Warablo]

They went all in on Anthem instead of prioritizing the Mass Effect IP. How did that work out?

They really need to make Anthem 2 a single player game or get the Iron Man license.

 

[TheInfamousKira]

Also, like...the jump between ME1 and ME2 was the result of enough of a void in this genre's market, giving them the opportunity to not only skate by on something that ran rough, but also have enough time to troubleshoot the short comings for a sequel without having to worry about six other devs making the same genre title but better while they got their shit straight.

It was a fucking fluke, not an industry standard. You haven't found your production loop or what the fuck ever. The good old Bioware mandate of making one shitty game and revamping it for the next two titles! Like, come the fuck on guy. You guys made a shitty game, the fact that this is STILL trying to be spared by (again) riding off the coat tails of the first game, a janky but coherent title. Take the L, dood

 

[delfrickintree]

No thanks and I am glad it did not happen. Between this B team and that formerly lead developer Manveer Heir with his bigoted anti white crusade that got him fired, this game was a dumpster fire that deserved to fail. EDIT: Not sure what is going on with the second half of the image. Some sort of satire?

2nd half of image is those typical "oh imagine if you said that about others" type of obvious hypocrisy nobody really cares about. It is pretty funny how obsessed he is, there's something about anti-white people that makes them seethe with resentment constantly.

Anyway Andromeda was awful story wise, I began skipping ALL dialogue and ignoring story. Something about an archon? But exploring planets and combat was top notch, and for that I call the game a HALF success, who needs story written by modern devs anyway. The "new" species design looked incredibly elementary, and only in concept phase. I was very surpised how bad they looked. What an absolute mess!

 

[graywolf323]

Andromeda was a good base for what clearly was planned as another trilogy, it’s really too bad they canceled the DLCs about the missing arks

 

[ElCasual]

 

[ReBurn]

Every time I try to play this, I can't get over how the one new alien group can completely communicate with the Milky Way folks, no problem. Maybe it's explained later in the game, but it just completely takes me out of it and I can't finish it.

Suspension of disbelief is a hallmark of science fiction.

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

Based on these comments and my feelings for the original trilogy, Andromeda 2 and 3 would have been even worse than the first game.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[balls of snow]

How can you regressed from Me 1 to andromeda then. Did your studio had collective amnesia and 'forgot' how to animate facial animations or making sure every asari didnt have a similar face.

 

[Cashon]

Suspension of disbelief is a hallmark of science fiction.

They at least tried to explain it in the original trilogy. It's easy enough to suspend disbelief when the rules of the universe have been established.

But there's just no reason for them to be able to understand one another nor for them to be completely nonplussed by that ability.

I thought it was cool when they showed the first alien group and there's no ability to understand one another.