{"id":1905143,"date":"2026-04-27T14:48:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1905143"},"modified":"2026-04-27T14:48:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T11:48:53","slug":"mass-effect-andromeda-actor-says-the-game-was-done-dirty-by-ea-and-a-very-toxic-atmosphere-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1905143","title":{"rendered":"Mass Effect: Andromeda actor says the game &#8220;was done dirty&#8221; by EA and &#8220;a very toxic atmosphere&#8221; online"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect-andromeda\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Mass Effect: Andromeda<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Mass Effect: Andromeda actor says the game &#8220;was done dirty&#8221; by EA and &#8220;a very toxic atmosphere&#8221; online<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">&#8220;It hurt most because I knew that was it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/ME-Andromeda_desert-planet.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Mass Effect: Andromeda - Ryder on a desert planet\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"ME-Andromeda_desert-planet.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>EA<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/fran-j-ruiz-author.png?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Fran Ruiz avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"fran-j-ruiz-author.png\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/fran-ruiz\">Fran Ruiz<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Contributor<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-04-27T14:48:53+00:00\">April 27, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"ab437efc-d8b4-4373-a678-a268e9cc3d77\" data-name=\"Mass Effect Andromeda\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Mass Effect: Andromeda\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Mass Effect: Andromeda\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda\" title=\"Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda\"><br \/>\n  Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>It&#8217;s been over nine years since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/mass-effect-andromeda\">Mass Effect: Andromeda<\/a> tried to kickstart a new era of BioWare&#8217;s original sci-fi RPG universe, an experiment that ended with pretty poor results. Now, we&#8217;re eagerly awaiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/bioware-explains-mass-effect-5-silence\">news on the mainline follow-up<\/a> revealed in late 2020 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-mass-effect-tv-show-wasnt-ordered-to-rewrite-scripts\">Amazon&#8217;s TV show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One of Andromeda&#8217;s leads, Tom Taylorson, the voice actor behind Scott Ryder, recently had a chat with fan site <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearemasseffect.com\/looking-back-at-mass-effect-andromeda-a-conversation-with-tom-taylorson\/\">We Are Mass Effect<\/a> (hat tip to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/mass-effect-andromeda-done-dirty-by-publisher-ea-actor-says\">IGN<\/a>). During the conversation, he reflected on what went wrong during the game&#8217;s development and after its release, even if it was eventually reappraised by some fans of the franchise.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Mass Effect: Andromeda - Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UMo6e0JGJ3M?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/UMo6e0JGJ3M\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Mass Effect: Andromeda &#8211; Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UMo6e0JGJ3M\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It was done dirty by a publisher expecting too much from it, not being fully cooked, forced out the door too early, forced to use corporate&#8217;s shiny new engine when many of the team didn&#8217;t know how to work with it and it was NOT suited to the storytelling part of the game,&#8221; he said. Almost a decade later, Taylorson isn&#8217;t pulling any punches, underlining well-known problems during the game&#8217;s bumpy development (such as the forced switch to DICE&#8217;s Frostbite engine), and BioWare Montreal&#8217;s lack of experience when it came to taking the lead on vast projects.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, and as also explained by IGN&#8217;s report, 2024&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/dragon-age-dreadwolf\">Dragon Age: The Veilguard<\/a> was also built on Frostbite and, for all its faults, was one of the most polished triple-A releases of that year. It&#8217;s true BioWare had trouble adapting to it on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect-andromeda\">Mass Effect: Andromeda<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/anthem\">Anthem<\/a>, though. It&#8217;s worth noting, at this point, that the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect\">Mass Effect<\/a> has returned to Unreal Engine.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The actor also pointed out the online reaction to the title wasn&#8217;t the kindest when the game finally launched: &#8220;It was released to a VERY toxic atmosphere online and elsewhere in the gaming space,&#8221; he explains. The actor is convinced &#8220;online chuds&#8221; amplified the problems the game faced during its launch window: &#8220;Their love of hate sealed the deal. What saddens me is that this would not be the last time I was in a project doomed by online haters picking a game for Punching Bag of The Week: I also worked on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/highguard\">Highguard<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Mass Effect franchise is eventually going to return \u2014 though, at this point, anything could still happen with the next game \u2014 but the plans for Andromeda&#8217;s own series were scrapped following the poor critical reception and disappointing sales. &#8220;It hurt most because I knew that was it \u2014 Ryder wouldn&#8217;t be coming back&#8230; I, and others, thought we&#8217;d have a good decade of playing with these characters in these spaces. And just like that \u2014 gone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>It&#8217;s been over nine years since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/mass-effect-andromeda\">Mass Effect: Andromeda<\/a> tried to kickstart a new era of BioWare&#8217;s original sci-fi RPG universe, an experiment that ended with pretty poor results. Now, we&#8217;re eagerly awaiting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/bioware-explains-mass-effect-5-silence\">news on the mainline follow-up<\/a> revealed in late 2020 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/amazon-mass-effect-tv-show-wasnt-ordered-to-rewrite-scripts\">Amazon&#8217;s TV show<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One of Andromeda&#8217;s leads, Tom Taylorson, the voice actor behind Scott Ryder, recently had a chat with fan site <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearemasseffect.com\/looking-back-at-mass-effect-andromeda-a-conversation-with-tom-taylorson\/\">We Are Mass Effect<\/a> (hat tip to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/mass-effect-andromeda-done-dirty-by-publisher-ea-actor-says\">IGN<\/a>). During the conversation, he reflected on what went wrong during the game&#8217;s development and after its release, even if it was eventually reappraised by some fans of the franchise.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Mass Effect: Andromeda - Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/UMo6e0JGJ3M?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/UMo6e0JGJ3M\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Mass Effect: Andromeda &#8211; Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UMo6e0JGJ3M\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;It was done dirty by a publisher expecting too much from it, not being fully cooked, forced out the door too early, forced to use corporate&#8217;s shiny new engine when many of the team didn&#8217;t know how to work with it and it was NOT suited to the storytelling part of the game,&#8221; he said. Almost a decade later, Taylorson isn&#8217;t pulling any punches, underlining well-known problems during the game&#8217;s bumpy development (such as the forced switch to DICE&#8217;s Frostbite engine), and BioWare Montreal&#8217;s lack of experience when it came to taking the lead on vast projects.<\/p>\n<p>To be fair, and as also explained by IGN&#8217;s report, 2024&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/dragon-age-dreadwolf\">Dragon Age: The Veilguard<\/a> was also built on Frostbite and, for all its faults, was one of the most polished triple-A releases of that year. It&#8217;s true BioWare had trouble adapting to it on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect-andromeda\">Mass Effect: Andromeda<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/anthem\">Anthem<\/a>, though. It&#8217;s worth noting, at this point, that the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/mass-effect\">Mass Effect<\/a> has returned to Unreal Engine.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The actor also pointed out the online reaction to the title wasn&#8217;t the kindest when the game finally launched: &#8220;It was released to a VERY toxic atmosphere online and elsewhere in the gaming space,&#8221; he explains. The actor is convinced &#8220;online chuds&#8221; amplified the problems the game faced during its launch window: &#8220;Their love of hate sealed the deal. What saddens me is that this would not be the last time I was in a project doomed by online haters picking a game for Punching Bag of The Week: I also worked on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/highguard\">Highguard<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Mass Effect franchise is eventually going to return \u2014 though, at this point, anything could still happen with the next game \u2014 but the plans for Andromeda&#8217;s own series were scrapped following the poor critical reception and disappointing sales. &#8220;It hurt most because I knew that was it \u2014 Ryder wouldn&#8217;t be coming back&#8230; I, and others, thought we&#8217;d have a good decade of playing with these characters in these spaces. And just like that \u2014 gone.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Mass Effect: Andromeda Mass Effect: Andromeda actor says the game &#8220;was done dirty&#8221; by EA and &#8220;a very toxic atmosphere&#8221; online &#8220;It hurt most because I knew that was it.&#8221; Image credit: EA News by Fran Ruiz Contributor Published on April 27, 2026 Follow Mass Effect: Andromeda It&#8217;s been over nine years since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1905143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1905143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1905143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1905143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1905143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}