Fallout’s TV adaptation has proven to be very successful for Amazon, making the question of where they go next a natural one to ask. Fallout’s second season is just around the corner, but Amazon also has a fresh video game adaption in the pipeline; a Mass Effect TV show.
It’s unclear whether this adaptation will look to re-tell the same stories as the Mass Effect games, or whether it will opt to simply take place in the same expansive universe. There are a lot of directions that it could go in, but the placeholder description for the series sounds as though it will be adapting at least the first game in the series.
As many who have played the Mass Effect games will be immediately aware, the issue with a direct adaptation means that some choices will have to be concretely established as the canonical outcomes.
For a series of games that puts so much emphasis on player choice, there may inadvertently be something missing for players who took a certain route.
While audiences very rarely have a choice in the outcome of passive media like films and TV shows, a new setting and a new story might be able to sidestep that issue.
Tying into the next Mass Effect game
The problem with an original setting, though, is that it may step on the toes of what’s planned for the next game in the series.
The aftermath of EA’s structuring of Bioware since the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard leaves the release of this fifth title up in the air, but it’s likely that Bioware will want to leave enough space around when this game would be set, for it to not be affected by the storytelling of the series.
In that case, alongside a direct adaptation of the games and a prequel or sidequel, the series could serve as a connective tissue between the original trilogy and the new entry.
Mass Effect TV Show Release Date?
Although Amazon are producing the Mass Effect show, there will be different creative minds to that of its successful Fallout adaption.
The series will be overseen by Mass Effect head Mike Gamble, while Doug Jung (Mindhunter, Star Trek: Beyond) will serve as showrunner, with filming set to begin towards the end of 2026.
