Players familiar with the Mass Effect trilogy shouldn't expect to see characters from those games in the upcoming Mass Effect Andromeda, BioWare has said.
The game, which is being designed on an all-new engine will retain some of the elements from the previous games, including its combat system. Its setting and some of its gameplay mechanics will be retained, but the similarities end there.
With Mass Effect Andromeda being set in an entirely new galaxy rather than the Milky Way, gamers can expect to see new faces, but none of the ones that graced the previous games. So there's little hope of seeing Liara or Garrus running around in Mass Effect Andromeda.
Speaking on Twitter, senior development director Chris Wynn relayed the bad news, stating simply that it wouldn't make much sense in terms of the game's story for any of the previous characters to be featured in the new game.
Wynn couldn't confirm whether minor characters might show up in the game, but it's unlikely.
Beyond its combat and setting, one of the big elements from the previous games making a return is the Mako terrestrial combat vehicle, which players will board and use to explore the surface of these hitherto unexplored planets. Some of the races previously present in the series will also be making a return.
We'll keep you updated with Mass Effect Andromeda news as the information becomes available.