Not much has been revealed about Mass Effect 4 since its announcement, but what little has been shown has massive implications for both the future of the franchise and the story told so far. The trailer for the next chapter in the iconic RPG series heavily implies the game will make certain decisions from the original trilogy canon in order to launch a new story from a solid foundation.
BioWare has a huge decision to make with regards to canon in Mass Effect 4, and the choice the studio makes will almost certainly radically alter the path of the franchise. Here's a breakdown of the decision facing BioWare, why it's so important, and some of the evidence as to which way the studio may be swinging.
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Mass Effect 4's trailer and other marketing materials suggest at least one major decision from the original trilogy will be made canon. The trailer shows Liara walking over the metallic, snow-covered corpse of a Reaper, while a picture released on BioWare's Twitter account shows a Mass Relay being rebuilt in the architectural style of the Systems Alliance.
The only ending to the original trilogy that saw the destruction of the Reapers and the Mass Relays was the Destroy Ending, in which Shepard chooses to use the Crucible to destroy Synthetic life across the Milky Way. It's also the only ending which can hint at Shepard's survival given the player has a high enough Effective Military Strength, with the Mass Effect 4 trailer also hinting that Shepard may be alive when Liara finds a piece of N7 armor in the snow.
This makes a lot of sense as the foundation for continuing the story. The Synthesis and Control endings would create a universe where the Milky Way is either watched over by Shepard as some form of post-human AI, or where all organic and synthetic life has been merged. Even for Mass Effect these potential futures might seem too alien to tell relatable stories. The Destroy Ending allows BioWare to depict a galaxy recovering from the Reaper Invasion while still leaving the door open for future conflicts.
By deciding on a canonical ending to Mass Effect 3, BioWare also avoids having to account for the radically different implications of each of the original trilogy's endings. However, making one player choice from the original trilogy canon raises a huge question for the studio.
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The more choices from the original trilogy that BioWare makes canon, the easier it will be to launch Mass Effect 4's story without having to worry about branching possibilities left over from previous games. It seems likely, for example, that the Krogan genophage will be cured regardless of the decision players made in Mass Effect 3.
The big decision facing BioWare now is whether it allows players to import any decisions from the original trilogy at all. Fortunately for BioWare, the vast majority of Mass Effect players chose Paragon, which means that for a lot of players there are some clear world states that make sense to canonize. Non-moral choices like romances, however, pose a far greater problem if Shepard returns. If Shepard does return as the protagonist, many players would likely be disappointed if one of Shepard's possible romantic interests from the original trilogy was established as canon.
If BioWare doesn't choose which character Shepard romanced, however, it's faced with the expectation that the player's original trilogy romance will return, which would require BioWare to bring back many characters from the original trilogy. That might sound like good news to some players, but dealing with those possible variations could hugely restrict Mass Effect 4's ability to launch a new story without being held back by the past.
This could be avoided if Shepard isn't the new protagonist, with the new player character seeing the effects of Shepard's actions in the original trilogy without the game having to address the specifics. However, the evidence so far seems to point to Shepard's return. To reveal a part of Shepard's N7 armor only to establish that they really did die at the end of Mass Effect 3, even in the Destroy Ending, would likely disappoint many players as well.
Mass Effect 4 will likely have to account for decisions made in Andromeda as well. While Mass Effect: Andromeda avoided the outcome of the original trilogy by taking place centuries later in another galaxy, BioWare project director Michael Gamble has stated the shot of both Andromeda and the Milky Way in the Mass Effect 4 trailer was "intentional." Synthesizing the different potential outcomes of the original trilogy with some of the choices made in Andromeda could be a huge task, even if the Destroy Ending is made canon to lay a foundation for the franchise's future.
BioWare will have to strike a fine balance between acknowledging the past and preventing it from holding back the series' ability to tell new stories. Shepard's return in particular could complicate things. On the other hand, bringing back Shepard and choosing to ignore too much of the original trilogy could frustrate some fans who were hoping to be reunited with romances and see the consequences of their choices.
BioWare's big decision could affect how the franchise moves forward in the long-term as well. Establishing canonical events from the original trilogy could set a precedent where each contained Mass Effect story allows the player to make choices, but each new storyline establishes a clear canon as its own foundation. Whether BioWare will be able to strike the right balance to satisfy fans remains a mystery. However, it's clear that while a return to locations and characters from the original Mass Effect trilogy may seen like a safe bet for the studio, it also forces it to face down one of the toughest storytelling decisions so far.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.