Next Mass Effect Would Have Been Called Universe

Cancelled Mass Effect Trailer Leaks Following BioWare Closure Published Oct 22, 2026, 12:08 PM EDT George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer, and has been working in the industry since 2021 after graduating from the University of South Wales with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. He has also previously written for RPG Site, WhatCulture, and PlayStation Lifestyle. George is an expert on platformers, action games, and fighters, but tends to play as many releases as possible. This hands-on experience lets him dive into gaming communities and follow the latest trends. Some of the games George has extensively covered first-hand include Dead Rising, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Assassin's Creed Shadows, and Ninja Gaiden 4. Sign in to your TheGamer account A trailer for the cancelled next Mass Effect game has seemingly leaked online following BioWare's closure, suggesting that the project would have been titled Mass Effect: Universe. Yesterday, it was announced that EA was shutting down BioWare, the developers behind Dragon Age, KOTOR, and Mass Effect, after more than 31 years. While the studio's recent batch of games had their issues, the end of the studio is a big loss for an increasingly troubled industry, especially considering a new Mass Effect was already some time into development. Since BioWare's closure, we've heard a lot about the work that was going into the next Mass Effect game, with many former studio members highlighting how special it was shaping up to be. We may never know for sure how it would have all played out, but a new leak might have given us our best look yet at what could have been. Mass Effect 5 Trailer Has Seemingly Leaked What A Damn Shame As pointed out by ResetEra user Kawngi, the alleged trailer for the cancelled Mass Effect game was shared by Random_Hyabusa_Ninja on the game's subreddit, with mods being unable to verify it but concluding it might be legitimate and not made with AI. By all accounts, it seems like this is a real internal trailer (as noted at the start of the footage) that a BioWare dev must have leaked. The trailer itself, which suggests the next game would have been called Mass Effect: Universe, shows the new protagonist landing on a planet and explaining their military background to an asari. We then got lots of very Mass Effect coded shots of the hero and their team talking, fighting, and, uh, you know whatting, their way through a bunch of different locations. To end the trailer on a high note, the asari reveals themselves as the one who "starts the fires", before Liara shows herself as part of the new team and the whole encounter is revealed to be a setup. After a firefight breaks out, the trailer sadly ends with the cancelled project's name and a now sobering promise that it's "coming soon". Even if it's just an in-engine trailer without any proper gameplay, the tone of the trailer is exactly what you'd want from a new Mass Effect game, which makes its cancellation and BioWare's closure even more of a gut punch. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the wait for this one very likely would have been worth it. Mass Effect Released November 20, 2007 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Violence Developer(s) BioWare Publisher(s) Electronic Arts Engine Unreal Engine 3