The Mass Effect 3 ending issues continue, but BioWare is keen to placate it’s loyal fans…
Regardless of your personal opinion about the ending for Mass Effect 3, and whether or not you feel the furore surrounding the culmination of the series is really justified, you have to agree that BioWare has a hot potato dripping with molten cheese on its hands.
It's hard to remember a time when such a critically acclaimed game has received such an immense fan backlash, and the team behind the third adventure of Commander Shepard isn't ignorant of the many and varied complaints aimed at the closing few minutes of the game.
In fact, BioWare takes these opinions so seriously that co-founder, Dr. Ray Muzyka, has posted an open letter to Mass Effect fans on the official BioWare blog. In the letter he states that the team are genuinely surprised at the level of negative feedback they're received about the ending, and that Mass Effect 3 is, in his opinion, the best game the company has produce thus far. Considering BioWare's stellar back catalogue, that's some praise, indeed.
"As co-founder and GM of BioWare, I'm very proud of the ME3 team; I personally believe Mass Effect 3 is the best work we've yet created. So, it's incredibly painful to receive feedback from our core fans that the game's endings were not up to their expectations. Our first instinct is to defend our work and point to the high ratings offered by critics - but out of respect to our fans, we need to accept the criticism and feedback with humility." Muzyka stated, and also commented on future plans, and possible changes that may be implemented to appease the fans...
"Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You'll hear more on this in April. We're working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we've received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue."
Although Muzyka's post doesn't really tell us anything we don't know - BioWare being proud of the game, and possible changes on their way - it's nonetheless nice to see a personal, and frank response to the negative feedback.
With a very strong suggestion that the team is working to expand on the ending to offer more answers (rather than reworking the existing one), we'll have to see if BioWare does right by the fans, and offers the DLC for free (Microsoft's approval permitting, of course), or if any extra closure will cost some hard earned MS Points. If it's the latter, anyone living in the vicinity of the BioWare building should stock up on provisions and lock the doors, as there'll probably be a riot.
Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here. And be our Facebook chum here.