Commander Shepard, FemShep.
These names are synonymous with the Mass Effect franchise. We know Shepard won’t be in Mass Effect: Andromeda, but we still don’t know the name of the new game’s protagonist – until now.
If you can’t view the video:
The producer of Mass Effect Andromeda, Michael Gamble, announced the name of the main character on his Twitter account Monday. Posting a picture of the character with the words, “Hello, my name is ____ Ryder.”
The name choice could be a homage to Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, and the youngest American astronaut to travel to space. She died of pancreatic cancer in 2012. The previous Mass Effect trilogy’s John Shepard was conspicuously named after the first American in space, Alan Shepard.
Still, “FemRyder” doesn’t have the same ring to it as “FemShep” and sounds… awkward.
We got our first glimpse of Ryder at EA Play this year, as she awakened from suspended animation. The same trailer also revealed a wealth of new information on the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda. We learned the Andromeda galaxy is one million light years away, and the name of the new “Normandy” in the game is “Tempest.”
We saw new creatures and environments, as well as some familiar ones. Why Asari are a million light years away, I have no idea, but I want to find out. Perhaps some botched expedition?
The trailer also confirmed the leaked gameplay footage from earlier this year was indeed genuine.
I am stoked about returning to the Mass Effect universe. EA hasn’t set a firm release date for the game, but it is expected out sometime in early 2017.
We’ll keep you posted on everything Mass Effect, including announcements, trailer analysis, and more.
