Behold, this is the Mass Effect 5 we'll never get to play – leaked trailer shows us exactly what we're missing

Mass Effect 5 screen from leaked trailer — (Image credit: Oktaygun / YouTube)

Yesterday's announcement about BioWare's closure has been followed with a leaked trailer for the Mass Effect game it was working on at the time.

Now confirmed as genuine, the trailer shows pre-production footage of Mass Effect Universe – the fifth entry in the hugely popular sci-fi RPG franchise. And considering its spy thriller themes, it also underlines exactly what we'll be missing.

Mass Effect: Universe Trailer - YouTube

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After it was originally posted on Reddit, renowned industry expert Jason Schreier confirmed its validity: "Can confirm that this is a real trailer of the Mass Effect game that BioWare was developing up until its closure yesterday," he wrote on Bluesky.

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The trailer shows a new lead character with a bit of backstory. There seem to be some returning favourites too. It starts by detailing that the footage is all taken from in-game, using pre-production assets.

Bar any further leaks that appear over the coming days and weeks, this could be the last we see of Mass Effect in the games-sphere. It was announced yesterday that EA had closed the much-loved role-playing specialist BioWare, leaving its staff facing unemployment and its IPs – including Dragon Age, as well as Mass Effect – in limbo.

It has naturally caused an outcry in the gaming community. Canadian studio BioWare has been responsible for some of the best RPGs in gaming history, including Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, and of course, the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series.

It is cited as having influenced The Witcher games and many more besides. It will be sorely missed.

One tiny bit of solace is that Amazon is reportedly ploughing ahead with its Mass Effect TV series. And hopefully, something will emerge from the developer's obviously talented team elsewhere.

Either way, let's just hope all those impacted manage to find further employment soon.

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