Mass Effect writer Drew Karpyshyn has shared his vision of how the development team intended the original Mass Effect 3 to end.

Drew Karpyshyn’s name may not ring a bell for some, but if you love BioWare games, sci-fi, or the Star Wars universe, chances are you’ve come across his work. He’s not just responsible for the Mass Effect games but also Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and even the Darth Bane novels! Recently, the former BioWare writer waxed nostalgic about the Mass Effect trilogy and revealed some previously unconfirmed details about the ending.

Karpyshyn recently held an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit to promote his upcoming book, Time Kings of Las Vegas.

During the session, Karpyshyn was asked, among others, how he would have wrapped up the Mass Effect series, which is a sneaky way of asking him about the trilogy’s conclusion without explicitly mentioning the trilogy’s conclusion. Karpyshyn gave a surprising answer, explaining what the original BioWare team had in mind long before Mass Effect 3 was written.

If Drew Karpyshyn is to be believed, the original “rough idea” for ending Mass Effect 3 was “luring the Reapers through the Mass Relays”. Then the entire Mass Relay network would have been “blown up”, which would have wiped out the enemy while also destroying the whole network of relays connecting the galaxy. Karpyshyn says the goal would be to isolate the galactic community’s various planets and civilisations.

Those familiar with the development of the Mass Effect trilogy will know that Drew Karpyshyn played a significant role in writing both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. He then worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic before leaving BioWare in 2012. He was aware of the general direction the Mass Effect franchise was going in but didn’t necessarily have a hand in what was happening with Mass Effect 3 or the actual decision-making regarding its conclusion.

Mass Effect 3 players will know that the plot point explained by Drew Karpyshyn finally happened.

Use of the Crucible in any ending, unless nothing is done, will result in the destruction of the Mass Relay network. Reapers, however, are not introduced into Mass Relays. The consequences of destroying the network are not explained after the end of Mass Effect 3. Perhaps this will be a plot point explored in Mass Effect 4.

However, Drew Karpyshyn has long since moved on from BioWare and the Mass Effect series. He now works for Archetype Entertainment, a studio owned by Wizards of the Coast, and is working on a brand new IP. Like most Mass Effect fans, he’s perfectly content to ignore what’s come before and look to what’s next.

Source: Reddit