Zelda is to blame for Mass Effect Andromeda disappointing its players
Mass Effect Andromeda is a game for which Electronic Arts would be the happiest if it never happened. Although the company does not want to disclose precise information of sales of that game, the fact is that the team responsible for Andromeda has been switched to the new studio and that the Mass Effect franchise is on a break until further notice. If the sales results were better, the consequences would probably not be such.
However, at BioWare, they still have an attitude that sales results could be better in some other circumstances. Namely, Mark Darrah, an executive producer of Anthem, in a recent interview with Game Informer, had an interesting answer to the question of whether Mass Effect Andromeda had a fair chance. Darrah replied:
"I think it came out in a really really busy window in March, perhaps the busiest window in the history of the gaming industry where 5 RPGs released in the same month. It came out in the same month as Zelda."
Darrah did not go into details, but with his statement he clearly suggested that other games have hurt Mass Effect Andromeda more than itself. Other games he refers are Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost Recon Wildlands, NieR Automata and aforementioned The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It is true that March was filled with hits, but there is no claim that all these games belong to the same genre as the Mass Effect Andromeda. Moreover, Horizon Zero Dawn was a new IP, NieR Automata was an unknown Japanese game, and Ghost Recon was rated lower than Andromeda. In the end of ends, Zelda is an action adventure and has appeared on platforms for which Mass Effect Andromeda was not even in the plans. Makes no sense.
Surprisingly and somewhat alarmingly, nobody in Electronic Art and BioWare wants to admit what we all know - that the Mass Effect of Andromeda was just a mediocre game and, as such, a disappointment. It is alarming, how then to expect any sincerity regarding their future projects?
Tagged with: Controversy, Mass Effect Series
