Believe it or not, it's been almost four years since Bioware released the first teaser and various art for the next installment in the "Mass Effect" series. The game will be the fifth mainline entry, and while it doesn't have a name yet, the mood music is unmistakable: after the failure of the relaunch of "Mass Effect: Andromeda," which was a huge disappointment to fans of the series (I thought it was alright), this game is what people want. It's going to offer what people want. Returning characters? Check. n7 logo" Check. [Because Bioware is a very different studio from the one that ran through the 90s, and that's after two flops, "Andromeda" and "Anthem. There has been a major reshuffling of the team and personnel, most notably for "Mass Effect" fans, the departure in 2020 of Casey Hudson, who directed the original trilogy and was involved in the initial conception of this new film.

This weekend, Bioware's Michael Gamble urged reassurance to fans who were basically arguing over whether the new film would be led by "veteran developers from the original trilogy" (thanks, GamesRadar+). Gamble, who has been with the series since 2010, responded that "[the executive producer], art director, creative director, and game director are all veterans of Trilogy."

This not only reassured fans, but caused some excitement, even though Gamble did not name names. But we already know who some of the above talents are, and who the others are, thanks to Gamble's tweets around the time of the game's official announcement.

The executive producer is Gamble himself, who has been a producer on games since "Mass Effect 2". Next is the art director, who, according to Gamble, is "Derek Watts. He was the original art director for "Mass Effect. He's back, too. We're ready to rock."

The creative director is Parrish Ray. Parrish was the cinematic director of the "Mass Effect" trilogy. He said, "Many of the great moments you experienced were created by him and his team. Parrish has decided to rejoin BioWare to help bring the new "Mass Effect" vision to life.

And the game director is Preston Watamanik, who was the lead designer of the original trilogy. Not mentioned above is Dusty Everman, the game's scenario designer. Dusty was one of the key individuals who brought the original "Normandy" to life. Dusty has decided to rejoin BioWare and work on the next installment of "Mass Effect". There are others like him. We ask what "Mass Effect" means to you.

Finally, another producer, Brennon Holmes. Brennon is a veteran of three "Mass Effect" films. His ingenuity and work has helped bring a great gameplay system to the "Mass Effect" universe. Brennon is one of many who want to bring you the game you deserve. I'm sure you'll learn more about us as time goes on."

In other words, not four, but six veterans have held (at least) senior positions, all of whom had important roles in the series' glory days.

But that reassurance will have to go a long way: a recent IGN report on expanded layoffs at EA mentioned that the next Mass Effect title remains in "pre-production" and that Bioware is focused on the upcoming Dragon Age The company is concentrating on Dreadwolf: Dreadwolf. The next "Mass Effect" was last seen on N7 last year, so while we may see it again on November 7, 2024, it is unlikely that we will be playing this game for some time to come.