It's been assumed, but writer Mac Walters has confirmed in a new interview that the next chapter in Mass Effect will have nothing to do with Commander Shepard or the Normandy crew.
"I can't get into details, but the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn't relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever," Walters said. "Beyond that, that's what we've been deciding for awhile. But throughout it all, one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can't just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core. Just without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions."
Many will undoubtedly be disappointed, especially fans of Shepard's crew, but the Mass Effect universe is so vast, surely this talented team has tapped into something Mass Effect fans will enjoy just as much.
[Complex via Game Informer]