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Mass Effect writer offers advice for upcoming movie adaptation

Mass Effect writer Drew Karpyshyn has said filmmakers should focus on the story of humanity's search for a place in the galaxy, which much more intrinsic to what the franchise is than, say, Tali or Garrus. Don't shoot the messenger.

In an article on Kotaku, Karpyshyn said that in terms of what essentials need to be in place for the upcoming film to be truly Mass Effect, the story of humanity is paramount.

"For me, [Mass Effect is] really about this idea that humanity is the newcomer and trying to prove themselves to the other races or trying to find their place,” he said.

“It’s a great set-up, especially if they want to go forward and base the second movie on the second game, which brings up Cerberus. They’re sort of the epitome of the conflict that arises as humanity tries to carve out their place in the universe and are sort of the polar opposite of Shepard.

“Humans as newcomers will allow you to have these different species and lets viewers react to them. Shepard is trying to find his way through as the first human Spectre. It’s an honor but also a burden. Everyone is watching him and there’s people who want to see him fail. it’s important to see that element in there as well and really get a sense that everybody is watching what humans do and the humans are trying to figure out their place in the universe."

Elsewhere in the article, Karpyshyn warned that lots of people aren't going to like some of the decisions the filmmakers wil have to make. Shepard's personality will be locked down, of course - but a 90 minute film cannot support the huge ensemble cast even the first Mass Effect fronted.

As such, he said its likely a number of characters won't make the cut - if Shepard has a romance with Liara, Ashley probably won't make it, he suggested, or if Garrus is highlighted, then maybe Tali isn't strictly necessary.

Meanwhile, your console is home to the entire cast and your Shepard can do whatever she damn well pleases. And that's why video games are the best forever. Mass Effect is going to be about a male version of Shepard, is being written by a fan, and will apparently be really special.

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Brenna Hillier avatar

Brenna Hillier

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Based in Australia and having come from a lengthy career in the Aussie games media, Brenna worked as VG247's remote Deputy Editor for several years, covering news and events from the other side of the planet to the rest of the team. After leaving VG247, Brenna retired from games media and crossed over to development, working as a writer on several video games.

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