Five months.
That's how long it's been since Mass Effect: Andromedalaunched,France and that's how long it took BioWare Montreal to admit that nothing more can be done with the ailing game's story mode. Technically, it wasn't even a full five months, as Andromedalaunched on March 21.
SEE ALSO: 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' reviews are in: Bad game is badBioWare confirmed the decision in an update on the Mass Effect website. The Andromeda corner of the game's universe won't be tossed, but continuing stories will be relegated to special multiplayer missions and other forms of media.
"Our last update, 1.10, was the final update for Mass Effect: Andromeda," the note reads. "There are no planned future patches for single-player or in-game story content."
The multiplayer side of the game -- which, it should be noted, is a source of continuing income thanks to a loot box-driven virtual economy -- will live on. Sometime "in the coming weeks," Andromeda's multiplayer team will have news to share about new "missions, character kits, and what's in store for N7 Day [on Nov. 7.]."
While an end to title updates isn't such a big deal for a game that's been out for close to half a year -- unless a game-breaking bug surfaces, of course -- the announcement also means something else: as had long been rumored, Andromeda's story won't be the recipient of any add-on content.
That's a marked change for BioWare with this series. Each of the previous three Mass Effect games received story-driven content that you could buy after release. More than that, every one of those games saw their first add-on in less time than it took for BioWare to announce Andromedawouldn't be getting any.
It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who's been following this saga closely. Going all the way back to the weirdly hyped first post-release patch and awkward public address one week later, it's never felt like BioWare was really on steady footing with this game.
Subsequent reports (via Kotaku) of a fraught five-year development process painted a clearer picture: changes in scope and studio in-fighting had effectively doomed the game while it was still being made. What we ended up with is not what was first conceived, and many players picked up on that immediately.
That right there is your "why." Why is Mass Effect: Andromeda's story officially over just five months after it launched? It would have been nice to see BioWare own this answer outright, but reading between the lines is easy enough: No one wants to spend money on it.
Topics Gaming
Skype is finally shutting down
PSA: Anyone can record and save your snaps forever on iOS 11
Police kindly request people stop calling 911 over this decapitated body
PSA: Anyone can record and save your snaps forever on iOS 11
I'm a college professor. My advice to young people who feel hooked on tech
Aronofsky's 'mother!' and the psychological horror of women's domesticity
Police close road to investigate a grizzly find... sort of
Jimmy Kimmel isn't done being Senator Bill Cassidy's biggest pest
Exceptionally rare radio sources detected in the distant universe
Looks like Damon Lindelof is full steam ahead on that 'Watchmen' show for HBO
SpaceX's Starlink satellite launch in pictures
Fireball, the unofficial beverage of regret, is now available in bagel form
Silicon Valley's resident nice guy is ready to try venture capital
'Overwatch' League to launch in December with 12 teams
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 23
What's coming to Netflix in October 2017
How Amazon pulled off its biggest Prime Now launch ever
Amazon customers can now return things for free at Kohl's or Whole Foods
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 26
Twitter to testify on Russian bots as politicians take aim at big tech
Twitter's latest big ban highlights skewed definition of bad behavior'Lovecraft Country' spins wild, gory unpredictability into TV goldTikTok launches website to fight misinformation about the companyGlamorous pet owners are getting matching manicures with their catsUber app gets another makeover to focus on food deliveryTrump's wrestling tweet delivers a sobering reminder: This is not a gameISIS allegedly used Facebook in bid to scam people desperate for face masksThis tiny Southeast Asian country just held its first pride paradeWear OS to become faster, more intuitive this fallJenna Marbles and Julien Solomita cancel their podcastAnnabelle comes for the 'Doctor Strange' director on TwitterEd Sheeran is fed up with Twitter for a depressing reasonHow to help the USPS — and why it mattersHow the pandemic could forever change the way porn gets madeLittle Tasmanian devil experiencing snowfall is hardly what you'd call evilAmazon Prime prevents users from using swear words in Watch Party chatElon Musk is now the fourth richest person in the worldNaughty penguins at this aquarium are shamed on a sign'Microsoft Flight Simulator' review roundThe bold suffragists you likely didn’t learn about in school Jordan Peele drops perfectly cryptic new movie poster Why this UK public figure deleted 50K tweets in a day Jeff Bezos said the quiet part out loud: 'You guys paid for all this' Trump aide Stephen Miller escorted off set after fiery CNN interview Woman gets entire airplane to herself after getting booked onto flight meant for staff 'Last Stop' game review: A perfect game for our golden era of peak TV Meryl Streep and Ai What are Yats? They have investors paying $$$ to 'own' emoji. Hockey player tells his dad he made the Olympics in heartwarming video Why 'I Think You Should Leave' Season 2 is a major meme event OnePlus aims for the high How to view an Instagram story without logging in Twitter begins testing Reddit Everyone's an MVP in heartwarming 'Ted Lasso' Season 2 Trump name 'Old' review: Why be subtle when you can be M. Night Shyamalan? Princess Charlotte started school today and we're all officially ancient Kanye West sends Kim Kardashian emails about what's hot and what's not Barbra Streisand calls out female directors being overlooked in powerful Time's Up speech Hubble spots a galaxy warped and magnified by intense gravity