In what could easily be a commercial pulled from the Mass Effect universe itself, Bioware has announced the Andromeda Initiative, a mysterious program that you can sign up for starting today. The official signup page, which is shared in the video above, states, “The Andromeda Initiative is currently seeking recruits. Registered recruits will be among the first contacted to receive critical mission information, special training opportunities, and will also be eligible for reward upon program completion.”
The teaser presented here shows the construction of the large, Citadel-like vessel shown in the other trailers just beyond our own moon. An N7 soldier and someone wearing a suit matching Ryder’s look back at Earth, then do a nice, dramatic, action hero turnaround and walk away into the horizon. Straight up, though, the entire trailer is drop dead gorgeous. If the game looks half as good as this, I’m going to be downright floored.
There’s not a whole lot we can glean from the trailer itself and that’s fine, I’d say. We already knew that this game wouldn’t be a direct sequel or be otherwise connected to the original Mass Effect games. The implication was that this would be somewhere far into the future, long after Shepard’s story. The trailer spells it out for us, too: it’s set 600 years after the events of those games.
Since we’re pretty sure they’re not actually recruiting for space colonies or the N7 program (despite how much we wish that were actually a thing, hello, I’d be first in line to sign up), judging by the description, it sounds a bit like a beta, perhaps a multiplayer one. The fact that it’s shelled within the universe is quite exciting, and is certainly a step up from the generic “sign up here to receive beta info” call to action that usually accompany impending game releases.
If you want an early peek into the mystery box that is Mass Effect: Andromeda, the Andromeda Initiative may be your best shot. You better sign up soon, too, because it’s just like the website says: orientation begins Nov. 7 (aka N7 day), and it’s fast approaching.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go play the Mass Effect trilogy for the umpteenth time just to fail miserably at trying to romance someone other than Garrus. I can never leave you, my dear roguish, ruggedly scarred space bird.
(via Polygon, featured image via screengrab)
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