Although Mass Effect: Andromeda was the worst received installment of the franchise, fans of the Mass Effect series have held out hope for redemption in the form of downloadable-content (DLC). In previous titles, DLC for the Mass Effect series has proved a reliable source of extra content on top of already beloved games, rewarding players for their purchase with rich narratives and enjoyable bonus missions.
Unfortunately for Andromeda however, it seems there will be no such saving grace. After a landslide of harsh reviews and an overall poor community reception, BioWare repurposed the majority of the development team behind Andromeda for other projects, leaving only a skeleton crew to maintain the game's multiplayer presence. An article released over Kotaku earlier today confirmed; Mass Effect: Andromeda's story is done, and players will not be revisiting the crew of the Tempest.
Though unfortunate news for the Mass Effect fan base, it can hardly be called surprising. Andromeda crashed and burned on launch as critics lambasted the title for its watered-down story, uninspiring dialogue, and goofy animations. No, really, the animations were actually kind of terrifying, and while a patch would eventually address most of the complaints, the damage was done. Andromeda set its sights on the stars - and never even made it out of the atmosphere.
This likely applies to Mass Effect as a whole, as well. Another article from Kotaku claimed earlier this year that a source from within BioWare signaled a break from the company's flagship series.
"If today's reports are true, we're sure we'll see Mass Effect again in the future, given the franchise's importance to BioWare and EA. However, given the mixed reception of the latest entry, taking an extra bit of time to reflect on the strengths and shortcomings of the series is probably a good idea."
Still, we may see a revival of the Mass Effect series at some point in the future. For future news on that front, follow BioWare on the studio's Twitter and YouTube accounts, where we can count on seeing developments if not on Mass Effect, than at least from the studio's many other projects.