We’ve all suspected that Mass Effect 4 won’t be in fact called Mass Effect 4. We’ve seen this tendency from Bioware with Dragon Age: Inquisition (which should have been DA: 3), and considering that ME4 is technically a reboot or spin-off from the original trilogy, it only made sense that Bioware would go with a different name. This has been now more-or-less confirmed, as several important industry members have teased the upcoming Mass Effect’s name on Twitter.
It's not going to be called Mass Effect 4 – its going to be Mass Effect: _ _ _ _ _ _ _
— Parrigatooooo (@isaparrot) May 5, 2014
Now, those blanks could be filled out with multiple words. However, we’ve gotten some more hints, and based on logic and reason, it seems that Mass Effect 4 will actually be called Mass Effect: Contact. If this is a case, we’re likely to see a Mass Effect prequel. It was uncertain whether Bioware would be going with a sequel or a prequel this time around. We knew the new game would not feature Shepard and would focus on different events, but this is the first solid clue we’ve gotten that could help determine the time-line. Contact could in fact refer to the Contact War referred to in the previous games. If your memory is rusty, this is the conflict involving the Turians and the Humans, and it was quite the bloody affair. The war took place around the time when Shepard was nothing but a toddler.
@shinobi602 THUWAY IS A LIAR! Let's play Wheel of Fortune!
I'll make it easier for you RSTLNE:
_ _ N T_ _ T— Parrigatooooo (@isaparrot) May 6, 2014
In any case, it seems like a reasonable path to go down on. A prequel would make sense (let’s face it, it would be hard to make a viable, believable story after the finale of Mass Effect 3), and would allow Bioware to explore other aspects of the otherwise extremely complex Mass Effect Universe. Regardless, it seems we won’t have to wait long for some solid information. We’ve long suspected that Mass Effect 4 (or Contact, if that will be the official name) will make its presence known at E3 this June, and it seems we were right:
Mass Effect gonna be shown off at E3 too. Different name.
— Parrigatooooo (@isaparrot) May 5, 2014
How reliable this information is remains debatable, but chances are actually rather good. The trailer for Mass Effect 4 should be ready by now (has been in works since early February 2014), so all the signs point towards an exciting E3 indeed. What do you think about the name and the possibility of a Mass Effect prequel?