Some fans on Reddit are convinced that the next Mass Effect game is set after the main trilogy based on the answers BioWare developers gave during a panel in PAX East.
A discussion on Mass Effect's subreddit asked users to share any information they gathered from BioWare hosted panels during PAX East. One person shared a question that was brought up by an unidentified person during the "Happy Birthday Shepard" panel: "We know from the after-credits scene that tales of 'The Shepard' were told many years later, but what was the reaction to what Shepard did immediately after the battle on Earth?"
According to the post, BioWare developers responded by saying: "We can't really talk about that at this time." While this neither confirms or denies anything, most fans on the discussion are convinced that this was "blunt confirmation" disguised in PR speak. Fans could have assumed this because there have been past rumors that strongly suggested that next game won't be a prequel.
While some people may refer to the next game as Mass Effect 4, BioWare confirmed that it is indeed the end of Shepard's story and that it will be a new entry in the game's universe. The speculation in the discussion acknowledge that it won't be a direct sequel and fans seem to lean towards the idea that the game will be set many years after the third game ended.
For now, not much is known except for the regular cryptic updates BioWare developers post on social media.
Looking into examples of [redacted] in other games to get some ideas for [redacted] in new Mass Effect. Maybe [redacted] will be important.
— Jos Hendriks (@Sjosz) April 10, 2014