It appears as though the team behind the recently released Mass Effect game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, won't be helming their own projects anymore. Instead, they will be acting as support while the franchise takes a break.
According to a report from Kotaku, BioWare has shelved the Mass Effect franchise for the time being and turned the Mass Effect: Andromeda developer, BioWare Montreal, into a support studio.
BioWare released a statement on the rumor when Kotaku reached out, essentially confirming that BioWare Montreal has begun working on projects with Motive and other BioWare projects.
Our teams at BioWare and across EA put in tremendous effort bringing Mass Effect Andromeda to players around the world. Even as BioWare continues to focus on the Mass Effect Andromeda community and live service, we are constantly looking at how we’re prepared for the next experiences we will create.
The teams in EA Worldwide Studios are packed with talent, and more than ever, we are driving collaboration between studios on key projects.
With our BioWare and Motive teams sharing studio space in Montreal, we have BioWare team members joining Motive projects that are underway. We’re also ramping up teams on other BioWare projects in development.
There will be much more to come from BioWare in the years ahead.
While BioWare didn't touch the future of the Mass Effect franchise, they didn't answer. They simply stated they were focusing on Andromeda's community and 'live service' which will be utilized by BioWare's now delayed 'Project Dylan.'
Update: Various industry insiders have confirmed the Mass Effect hiatus.