A cinematic trailer circulating online appears to reveal the cancelled next Mass Effect game, reportedly titled Mass Effect Universe. It was initially unverified, but later confirmation established that the footage came from BioWare’s project.
The leak surfaced one day after EA announced that BioWare was being shut down. The timing has intensified discussion among fans, particularly because the studio traditionally celebrated the series on N7 Day each year.
What the trailer shows
The video opens with a notice explaining that it uses pre-production assets while running in-engine. It follows a man wearing the N7 trench coat seen in earlier teasers as he meets an Asari in a bar.
The unnamed protagonist says he previously served in the Alliance military but has since moved into a “new line of work”. The scene then shifts into action, with the Asari threatening him before Liara T’Soni is revealed. A biotic fight breaks out, followed by the title card: Mass Effect Universe.
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From rumour to confirmation
Before the trailer was authenticated, a Reddit user claiming to be an EA employee said the BioWare team had a trailer ready to go. The claim suggested it may have been intended for a 7 November N7 Day presentation.
Whether the project would have been shown publicly before the closure is unknown. Revealing a new Mass Effect game immediately before ending the studio would also have created a difficult situation for EA and likely increased the backlash from fans.
The trailer initially appeared to have come from outside EA’s normal release process. Writers who had worked on the game had previously spoken publicly about it, however, and had indicated that development was progressing in a positive direction.
Trailer confirmed as genuine
Update, 22 October 2026: Jason Schreier confirmed through his sources that the trailer is genuine and depicts the Mass Effect game BioWare had been developing until its closure.
The footage can be viewed in the Mass Effect: Universe Trailer Reddit post, shared by u/Random_Hyabusa_Ninja in the Mass Effect community. Because unofficially circulated footage can disappear, its availability may change.
Schreier’s confirmation was posted on Bluesky by Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) on 22 October 2026. His confirmation post states that it is a real trailer for the game BioWare was developing before the studio closed.
Although the trailer offers a glimpse of the project’s direction, it does not establish how far development had progressed, whether the game would have retained this title, or what ultimately happened to the work after BioWare’s closure.
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