Amazon’s upcoming Mass Effect TV adaptation will focus on an original story rather than rehashing BioWare’s classic trilogy of video games starring Commander Shepard.
BioWare revealed the news today as part of its annual N7 Day celebrations, as it hinted at what’s next for the Mass Effect franchise.
“We’ve been partnering closely with Amazon on [the series], and we’re really excited with what the talented team over there is coming up with,” Mass Effect boss Mike Gamble wrote in a blog post. “The writers room is going strong, and we’ve got a lot figured out about how it fits within the Mass Effect canon, and where it sits in respect to the new game. The show will explore a brand-new story within the universe’s timeline, and will be set after the original trilogy. It won’t be a retread of Commander Shepard’s story – because after all … that’s YOUR story, isn’t it?”
Back in August, Amazon was spotted as having listed a Q4 2026 production date for the series — meaning that it is still a year away from shooting. At the time, a placeholder plot description was shared that read like a rehash of Mass Effect 1’s plot, though fans have long considered a straight retelling unlikely.
For starters, the franchise’s choice-based narrative would be difficult to adapt without alienating fans who picked other options in their playthroughs — starting with their choice of either male or female Shepard, down to which alien races they choose as allies, or hop into bed with.
There’s also the fact that, when player choices are concerned, the Mass Effect series has never established a singular canon. When developing Mass Effect Andromeda, the series’ fourth main video game, its plot was set hundreds of years into the future and in a different galaxy in order to ensure that players’ Mass Effect 3 ending choices were respected. It would be tough for any TV series to show the same events and it not be presented as the franchise’s definitive version.
Amazon is no stranger to adapting video games with an established narrative, of course. The streaming service’s Fallout series has won over fans and newcomers alike by telling an original story woven into that franchise’s existing lore.
As previously announced, Fast & Furious 9 scribe Daniel Casey is attached as the series’ writer, while Star Trek Beyond and Mindhunter writer Doug Jung is set to serve as showrunner.
BioWare’s Mass Effect boss Mike Gamble and legendary former Marvel Studios producer Ari Arad are executive producing the series alongside Karim Zreik, previously executive producer on Marvel TV’s Jessica Jones series.
Back in the world of video games, progress is continuing on the still-untitled Mass Effect 5 which, like Andromeda, is believed to be set hundreds of years after the original Mass Effect trilogy. An early trailer showed a return for fan-favorite character Liara, now sporting an older look.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
