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EA is open to remastering Mass Effect if 'it feels so much better in this new shape and form'

Although studio execs were previously against the idea, 'there is proof in the market that people want it.' 

David Craddock

August 16, 2016 3:06 PM

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Despite being against the idea of remastering BioWare's Mass Effect trilogy, EA has come around thanks to greater and greater evidence that, well, remasters make lots of money.

Speaking to Game Informer at Gamescom, EA Studios executive Patrick Soderlund admitted that the company is slowly coming around to the idea of remastering titles.

"What's changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke. There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can't announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully."

It's no coincidence that Soderlund spoke specifically to following Activision's lead. Of the deluge of remasters that have come to define this generation of consoles (so far), Activision and EA refrained. Activision caved first; its remasters have met with mixed results, although its announcement of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare HD—a remaster of CoD4 only available alongside collector's editions of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare—generated excitement earlier this year.

Even so, consumers shouldn't expect EA to dive head-first into remasters. "We have to be careful in choosing the right brands for the right reasons at the right time. A remaster is something that you can just do or do it really well. I want to make sure that if we were to do it, we would do it really well and that people feel that it's the same game but it feels so much better in this new shape and form. There have been titles that have come out that have done it really well, and there have been others that maybe haven't done it so well. We just want to make sure that we stay in the 'done it really well' camp."

An ideal time to release an HD version of the first Mass Effect, at a minimum, would be ahead of Mass Effect Andromeda, which will mark the beginning of a new saga in BioWare's sci-fi universe when it launches in 2017.

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.