Producer Warns Players to Hang Onto Mass Effect 3 Saves

Since the first Mass Effect game came out in 2007, BioWare has asked players to try and keep their original Mass Effect saves throughout the entire trilogy. The story of Commander Shepard and all his or her decisions would, apparently, play out in an epic story arc ending with Mass Effect 3, which comes out March 9 – though perhaps that’s not the end of the line for your save files.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea (to keep your ME3 saves),” said Associate Producer Mike Gamble in an interview with GamerZines. “Obviously I can’t say anything, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

BioWare has stated that Shepard’s story will end in Mass Effect 3, but that doesn’t bar a continuation of the series in some way. Mass Effect’s rich universe is more than large enough to provide room for a spin-off series containing echoes of Shepard’s decisions. But for now, Shepard’s final bow is everyone’s main concern.

“We want the outcomes to be satisfying to the player,” Gamble said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all going to be happy or positive, but they have to be satisfying. Players have to understand that the choices they’ve been making in this game and in previous have had an impact, and that they’re an architect in what happens.”