Extended endings coming to Mass Effect 3
That huge wind gust you felt earlier today was the collective sigh of relief Mass Effect fans let out upon learning that the ending to Mass Effect 3 would recieve further explanation. The debate over the game’s final minutes have raged across the internet ever since its release in early March, and it appears that the virtual (and in my case, literal) hand wringing has paid off. Bioware will be releasing DLC that will provide the clarifications and closure sought by many fans. Read on to find out what this DLC will contain, and more importantly, what it won’t.
In a press release earlier today, EA confirmed that the endings to Mass Effect 3 would receive additional attention. Calling the project “Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut,” the DLC will be released this summer for free, and will provide answers for the many questions raised by the game’s ending. The content will also provide further insights and clarifications into the end of Shepard’s journey. The press release contained a quote from Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of Bioware.
“We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team. Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.”
There was also a quote from Casey Hudson, the Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series.
“We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player.”
A followup blog post on Bioware’s website offered a few more details, most notably stating that there would be no new endings for Mass Effect 3. In the blog post, community manager Derek Larke insisted that Bioware “strongly believes in the team’s artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise” and that no additional endings are planned. Instead, the team will use additional cinematics and epilogue scenes to bring more clarity and closure to the existing finale.
It remains to be seen whether or not this news will put out the fires of rage which have burned for nearly a month, but the initial response on the Bioware Social Network has been decidedly negative. Many fans seem to feel that nothing short of a completely new ending will suffice, and no amount of bandages will repair the damage done by the current finale. I suppose there is nothing we can do but wait and judge for ourselves when the DLC is released this summer.
One curious note: the Australian version of the EA press release states that the Extended Cut DLC will not be released until “winter.” I cannot think of a reason why Bioware would delay the release of this content another six months, so I assume this is just a typo.