BioWare has been releasing underwhelming games for the better part of a decade now. And after the recent announcements of restructuring within the studio, fans don’t have a lot of hope or goodwill left for the upcoming titles in the Mass Effect series. But there is one reason to hold onto hope, and that is Mary DeMarle’s role as Senior Narrative Director.
DeMarle was the Narrative lead for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and given that the game won Best Narrative at The Game Awards 2021, fans might just get their expectations rewarded. She could bring some much-needed help to BioWare, especially after the poor reception of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Mary DeMarle took a very balanced approach to storytelling in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Her focus on balancing humor, emotional depth, and character development is very evident in how she handled the Guardians as a team. If you’ve played the game before, you’ll know that each of the guardians has excellent character traits and writing.
Oh, hey!
I’m really excited to let you know that Mary DeMarle will be joining the Mass Effect team as Senior Narrative Director. You’ve seen her work in Guardians of the Galaxy & Deus Ex (to name a few!). She’s amazing.— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) July 4, 2022
On paper, Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) did everything right:
-Single player narrative driven
-No microtransactions
-Intensely detailed graphics
-Legit good story
But it came out after Avengers so no one played it 🙁 pic.twitter.com/qP2XRNS5JZ— DoritoGOD (@DoritoGOD2) June 3, 2024
She embraced the heartwarming aspects of the MCU while also making her own changes and taking more from the comic book lore. The game was a great example of how to make good things better while adding a personal twist to it. Given Mass Effect’s focus on squad dynamics and player choice, DeMarle’s style of storytelling could be exactly what it needs.
The Mass Effect trilogy has some of the most celebrated games in gaming history. The games had top-notch character writing and worldbuilding, but 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda was nowhere near the quality of what players expected. But with DeMarle at the helm for Mass Effect 5, we hope that the series can come back to form.
Seeing Bioware slowly die sucks. I hope the next Mass Effect isn’t their swan song, but it’s not looking good. #Bioware pic.twitter.com/qF4okVIz1X
— Anka (@Ankateh) January 30, 2025
Ironically enough, you’ll notice while playing Guardians of the Galaxy that it was heavily inspired by Mass Effect. We find this particularly noticeable in its ship-based interactions and team dynamics. And this influence will now flow in reverse with DeMarle bringing her experience from Guardians to Mass Effect.
BioWare’s restructuring has placed enormous pressure on Mass Effect 5 to succeed. Following the underwhelming reception and sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, EA recently announced that the company has shifted its focus entirely to the sci-fi franchise. An EA spokesperson told IGN that “the studio has the right number of people in the right roles.”
The studio itself has been on a steady downward trajectory for the last decade. Anthem was a colossal flop, Mass Effect: Andromeda is the textbook definition of mid, and even in 2024 Dragon Age: The Veilguard showed us that the studio is just not receptive to player feedback. If this keeps going, it’s unlikely that the studio will survive for much longer.
Mass Effect 5 is in the early stages of development so don’t expect to hear any release date announcements anytime soon. But DeMarle’s involvement alone gives us fans a lot of hope. What do you think?
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