Mass Effect 4 is under development, this much has been confirmed and known for some time now. However, there haven’t been any hints from Bioware about a possible release date. It was fairly obvious that Mass Effect 4 wouldn’t be launching this year, as 2014 is centered around Dragon Age: Inquisition for Bioware. A 2015 release date seemed to be more reasonable. Recent rumors would suggest this prediction is fairly accurate. An anonymous source working for Bioware and talking to B-Ten has hinted that Mass Effect 4 could be launching as soon as spring next year.
The legitimacy of this source cannot be confirmed at this point. Due to all the animosity of the source (something that’s understandable, but also convenient), take everything about this potential release date with a grain of salt. It’s not an official source, and at this point, there’s no indication that Bioware would reveal a release date for Mass Effect 4 before E3 2014, if at all. That’s still almost two months away. Still, a release during the first half of 2015 seems plausible, and we know that Mass Effect 4 is in a playable state already.
This source apparently only teased the possibility of a spring release date for Mass Effect 4, by stating that “Also if I was you, I’d get to playing the mass effect trilogy before next spring…”. He also added that neither Bioware nor EA will comment on his statement, something that is expected. No serious company ever comments on speculation and rumors. Whether the source is reliable or not is anyone’s guess, but the release time-frame would make sense. For now, all we know is that Mass Effect 4 is being developed, a trailer for the game has been in works since February, and Shepard won’t be coming back. The game will tell an entirely new tale, how much it will have to do with the original trilogy’s time-line remains to be seen.