Mass Effect: Legendary Edition exceeded expectations

Electronic Arts announced its results today and the company has revealed that it is very pleased with the success of some of its recent releases. In particular, the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition update was a major launch for publisher and developer BioWare. But even with all the hype for this series’ return, the game ended up beating EA’s internal predictions.

“The launch of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition… has revived passionate fans around the world,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said during a call to investors today. “[And it drove] sound performance far above our expectations.

EA aimed to rekindle good memories for Mass Effect while creating a profitable product. But with the Legendary Edition, it looks like the company has reminded a generation of gamers why they loved the Mass Effect series in the first place. And the game got a big ROI.

While EA and BioWare aren’t set to capitalize on this success for a few years, it should boost BioWare’s morale as they attempt to create the next Mass Effect game for this invigorated audience.

The success of Mass Effect should also help prove that EA and BioWare are making the right decision when it comes to structuring their upcoming games. EA was planning to focus on multiplayer and live-service mechanics for Dragon Age 4, according to a Bloomberg story from Jason Schreier. But EA ditched that in favor of a more traditional-style single-player RPG. This is something I can corroborate independently, according to a source close to the studio.

But does the success of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition mean a Dragon Age: Legendary Edition is coming? It is possible, but it is a slightly different set of circumstances. Mass Effect is a continuous and connected trilogy. Dragon Age games are much more loosely connected, and so EA might not feel the need to bring these games back to prepare fans for Dragon Age 4.