Shepard returning for Mass Effect 4 according to EA store slip up [Updated]

mass effect 4

Commander Shepard will return in Mass Effect 4, according to a (now-amended) store page found on the BioWare website.

Update: BioWare’s Michael Gamble has said that the store listing was written by employees who “aren’t familiar with the game.” This doesn’t exactly rule out Shep making a comeback, but does leave the possibility open.

The original post continues.

The RPG studio recently unveiled its latest piece of Mass Effect merchandise, a stylish lithograph depicting concept artwork from the upcoming sequel.

However, it was the accompanying description that caught the eye of observant YouTuber, MrHulthen. In his latest video he says that the original text read as follows:

While Shepard and the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what’s next.

If you look at the store listing, it now reads “the threat of the Reapers might have been ended, but at great cost including Earth itself. While the survivors are left to pick up the pieces, fans are left wondering what’s next.”

Mass Effect 4 – will Shepard return?

Right now, we know very little about Mass Effect 4 and where BioWare plan to take the sequel. After the misfire that was Mass Effect Andromeda, it looks like we’ll reunite with fan favourite characters in a new saga set after the original trilogy.

Is there a chance Shepard will once again lead the Normandy crew for an all-new space odyssey? After the events of Mass Effect 3, it isn’t one hundred percent confirmed whether he’s dead or alive. Even if he were dead, we’ve seen him brought back to life once before in the opening hour of Mass Effect 2. If Mass Effect 4 is indeed a continuation of the trilogy, the more important question is which of the three ME3 endings BioWare decides is canon.

That three-way split caused quite the ruckus among fans, many of whom were convinced the choices they’d made over the past 100 or so hours of gameplay would influence the ending. You may recall that the backlash was so bad, BioWare patched the game with new content to expand it. This was then followed up by the Citadel DLC, a party-like send-off for Shepard and the crew.

Whatever BioWare has planned for ME4, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for our next update.

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Senior Editor bursting with lukewarm takes and useless gaming trivia. May as well surgically attach my DualSense at this point.