BioWare might not use Electronic Arts’ in-house engine for the next Mass Effect game, and it wouldn’t be the first time either.

The Mass Effect trilogy was created on Unreal Engine 3. After them, Mass Effect Andromeda was the black sheep of the series for several reasons, including the technology, as the studio made it with the Frostbite engine provided by Electronic Arts. It wasn’t a good move: the engine wasn’t meant to be used in RPGs, so it required much work. Mass Effect Legendary Edition wasn’t moved to Frostbite either: the updated version of the three games remained on Unreal Engine 3 (not even a move to UE4!). Epic Games’ technology seems to be the future for the studio.

VentureBeat discovered that BioWare is looking for a new technical director on the Mass Effect franchise. The job listing mentions that the ideal candidate is preferred to have experience in Unreal Engine 4 or even Unreal Engine 5. It implies the team is considering moving away from the Frostbite engine. However, Electronic Arts haven’t officially commented on anything, and they likely won’t do so until the pre-release marketing for the next Mass Effect game begins.

VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb “confirmed through multiple sources that this is because everything is on the table when it comes to tech for a new Mass Effect—and that includes potentially replacing EA’s in-house Frostbite engine with Unreal.” Even though using Frostbite would be free for the studio (as Electronic Arts own both BioWare and Frostbite, and surely they wouldn’t charge them for using the tech!).

Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player title that sold so well that it even surprised Electronic Arts, also didn’t use Frostbite, as it ran on Unreal Engine 4. The next Mass Effect will still not be available before 2025 or so, as the studio is now developing Dragon Age 4, which has gone through multiple reboots…

Source: PSL