Jennifer Hale, the voice of the female Commander Shepard, says she’s ready to return and voice the character once again in Mass Effect 4. Developer BioWare first confirmed the next installment of the series with a trailer it released last December 2020. It then teased Mass Effect 4 with a new poster it shared during last year’s N7 Day celebrations. While both the trailer and poster give fans a few hints of what the next Mass Effect will include, official details remain extremely scarce.
It’s been almost half a decade since the last Mass Effect game, Andromeda, was released and a whole 10 years since its last numbered installment, Mass Effect 3, came out. The growing gap between the release of Andromeda and the next Mass Effect game may be attributed to the lackluster performance of the former coupled with the failure of the studio’s next release, 2019’s Anthem. However, Mass Effect Legendary Edition was a more recent success and the large gap has led to rumors that Mass Effect 4 will feature a new engine.
Jennifer Hale was asked by a fan at the recently held BAFTA Game Awards whether or not Commander Shepard will be in Mass Effect 4. Her response was featured in a recent video by YouTube channel MrHulthen (via ComicBook). Hale responds by saying that fans should let BioWare know if they want Shepard to return in the game’s upcoming next installment. She adds that she would love to return to voice the character and that she thinks Mark Meer, who voices the male Commander Shepard, would love it too. The two actors recently shared their favorite Mass Effect Commander Shepard lines during last year’s N7 Day celebrations. The Jennifer Hale video can be found below:
Fans who are eagerly waiting for Mass Effect 4 may still have to wait a while as the next major release from BioWare seems to be the next Dragon Age game. The last title in the series, Dragon Age: Inquisition, was released way back in 2014 so a new entry is certainly long overdue. Like Mass Effect 4, not much is known about the new Dragon Age game yet. However, it has been confirmed that neither game will be released anytime in 2022, with the next Dragon Age rumored to have a 2023 release date.
In the meantime, fans can replay the original sci-fi trilogy as Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is on EA Play as well as other subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass. Perhaps it will mak the wait for the next Mass Effect game a bit easier. Whether BioWare decides to bring back Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 4 or ends up featuring a brand-new protagonist like in Andromeda, fans of the series are sure to be eager to finally try out its next installment whenever it finally comes out.