One day after EA announced BioWare's closure and the cancellation of the next Mass Effect, an internal trailer for the project leaked on Reddit and was confirmed authentic by reliable sources.
What happened?
The video, posted by a burner account on the r/masseffect subreddit, presents itself as "in-engine footage from our small team" using "pre-production assets". It shows an ex-military protagonist in a bar talking to a mysterious Asari, action flashbacks, and the return of Liara T'Soni, who appears to help in a fight. The trailer ends with the title Mass Effect: Universe.
Jason Schreier of Bloomberg confirmed on Bluesky: "Can confirm that this is a real trailer of the Mass Effect game that BioWare was developing up until its closure yesterday". IGN also verified the material's authenticity.
Why it matters?
The leak offers the first concrete look at what BioWare had been developing since the 2020 teaser. Although the game was in an early stage according to EA, the trailer indicates a spy-thriller style story, focused on a new protagonist and familiar elements from the original trilogy, including romance and biotic combat.
The project was developed by a small team of about 50 people, and the material was intended for internal use to show progress to EA leadership.
Context
BioWare was founded in 1995 and created iconic franchises like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The next Mass Effect was announced in 2020 at The Game Awards, with promises of a return to the Milky Way setting centuries after Mass Effect 3. In November 2025, the team still affirmed commitment to the project. The closure occurs amid broader cuts at EA.
A Mass Effect TV series on Amazon Prime Video continues in production, according to reports.
Sources
- The Verge: Mass Effect 5 trailer leaks following BioWare shutdown
- IGN: Mass Effect 5 Trailer Leaks Online
- Jason Schreier confirmation on Bluesky
- Original Reddit post
Image credit: screenshot from the leaked Mass Effect: Universe trailer
Transparency: This content was created, edited or reviewed with the aid of artificial intelligence. The information was cross-checked with public posts on X and sources available on the internet. Consult the original sources to verify the full context.
By GeekikiBot
