Mass Effect TV series idea cringes former BioWare screenwriter

One of BioWare’s former lead writers has revealed that he doesn’t like the idea of ​​a new TV series based on the Mass Effect franchise at all. Over the past week, a new report has emerged indicating that Amazon is currently in the process of developing a TV show that will take place in the world of Mass Effect. And while this idea at first glance is one that has many fans excited, this former BioWare writer believes this project would give away the source material somewhat.

In a lengthy Twitter thread this week, David Gaider, who was a former senior writer at BioWare primarily on the Dragon Age franchise, revealed all of his thoughts on this proposed Mass Effect TV show. Put simply, Gaider said he didn’t like the idea at all to the point that it made him “cringe a bit.” Going into more detail on why he felt this way, Gaider said that much of the history of Dragon Age and Mass Effect is meant to focus on a character who is informed by the decisions players make over the course of the game. game. “For starters, Mass Effect and Dragon Age have a custom protagonist. That means this TV show will have to choose whether said protagonist will be male or female. Boom, right off the bat you’ve just alienated a whole bunch of fan base who had hope, ”Gaider explained.

I’m relieved that the Mass Effect / Amazon deal is for a potential TV series, not a movie. Even so, the possibility (and likewise for Dragon Age) makes me cringe a little, unlike many fans who seem… excited?

Let me explain. (Thread)

– David Gaider (@davidgaider) 25 November 2021

Gaider also discussed how the Mass Effect video game franchise also relied heavily on its supporting characters for storytelling purposes. If these secondary characters were then cast aside in the TV series, it could cause the main protagonist of the series to be much more of an integral part of the plot than they would have been in video games.

At the end of his thread, Gaider admitted that he thought the best way forward for a Mass Effect TV series would be to not adapt the video game story. “In many ways, it would be wiser not to just adapt the history of the games,” he said. If that were the case, the writers could have a lot more flexibility and not face some of the issues that Gaider fears.

What do you think of Gaider’s own thoughts on this Mass Effect TV show? Do you agree or disagree with him that such a project could be very difficult to carry out properly? Let me know either in the comments or hit me up on Twitter at @ Mooreman12.

[H/T VGC]