Bioware Asks For Mass Effect 4 Suggestions

"Would you be more interested in a game that takes place before the trilogy, or after?"

Bioware has requested the help of fans in deciding whether the next Mass Effect game takes place before or after the events of the Mass Effect trilogy.

Mass Effect executive producer Casey Hudson took to Twitter to ask gamers for their input about when they'd like to see the next title take place.

"Parsing through your thoughts on the next #ME game," he revealed. "Would you be more interested in a game that takes place before the trilogy, or after?"

It's not the first time Hudson has asked for player feedback about the next Mass Effect title; earlier this month he revealed that a new Mass Effect game was in the early stages of development, though admitted the team was still uncertain regarding story specifics.

We also know that the next game will go somewhere new and won’t star a character similar to Shepard, but this latest tidbit of information raises quite an interesting dilemma. If the team decide to pursue a prequel, they need to be careful not to conflict with any of the series' already-established canon, while a sequel would need to be set sufficiently far in the future that the varying endings of Mass Effect 3 don't create continuity problems, unless of course previous choices are once again incorporated as was the case between the original games.

It seems the team are aware of this though; earlier this month BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy revealed that the next Mass Effect title "will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games."

What do you think? Would you prefer to see Mass Effect 4 take place before or after the events of the Mass Effect trilogy?