After massive internet backlash towards the ending of Mass Effect 3, BioWare devs reportedly worked overtime and crunched for several months in order to release a new extended ending through the Extended Cut DLC. In a new interview with the video game documentary YouTube channel People Make Games, several BioWare devs discussed the initial reactions to the studio, including the hate-filled messages and death threats that some of the members received. Some devs also reveal that they did not even know what Mass Effect 3’s ending looked like until the end of development.
As a refresher, the ending of Mass Effect 3 caused an uproar of controversy and criticism when it released almost a decade ago. Lead developers and producers at BioWare had marketed the game as one that would take into account numerous player choices over the course of the series. Mass Effect series director Casey Hudson—in a now-infamous interview with Game Informer—stated that Mass Effect 3 would not be like “traditional game endings” where players would be limited to “ending a, b, or c.”
When the game was released, however, fans found that Mass Effect 3‘s ending cinematic was exactly that. Notably, players pointed out that, while some ending details were significantly different based on other choices made, the ending cinematic essentially boiled down to three different outcomes, a choice made right at the end of the game. The cinematics were almost exactly identical save for a change in the massive Citadel explosion’s color.
The ending was so controversial that even some former BioWare devs reached out and pushed back against the studio’s decision. And apparently, most of the development team didn’t even know what the ending would look like until later in development, including some members of the cinematic team. Cinematic Designer John Ebenger—who left BioWare in 2017—said that the team did not have “high visibility” into what the ending would look like. Fellow Cinematic Designer Zachariah Scott says the same, stating that there was also originally a version “which was very different on each level.”
After the controversy, members of the development team began receiving death threats and hate messages. Gameplay Designer Manveer Heir states that he lost count of how many messages he received, while Marc-Antoine Matton adds that female devs caught the worst of the brunt.
BioWare eventually gave in after a petition was made to change Mass Effect 3’s ending, forcing devs to work overtime in order to push out a new ending for the game. Many of the devs note that this was a big morale hit on the team, as the expectation was that the team would get a break after the game’s release. Worse yet, the new plans also forced devs to start work on Dragon Age: Inquisition right after completing the Mass Effect 3 extended cut DLC. Scott notes that this resulted in “a lot of people” starting therapy around that time.
You can watch the full documentary on the Mass Effect 3 ending in the video above, which provides a lot more context around the decisions and work that went into the extended cut DLC.
