In a new interview, BioWare writer Mac Walters gives some insight into the direction the next Mass Effect.

Speaking to Complex at the New York Comic-Con, Walters put to rest speculation that the next installment of the series would be a prequel or focus on Commander Shepard's companions.

Walters said, "I can't get into details, but the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn't relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever. Beyond that, that's what we've been deciding for awhile. But throughout it all, one of the key things is that it has to be Mass Effect. It can't just feel like a spin-off. It has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core. Just without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions."

Source: Complex

Our Take:
Fans might be disappointed, but I'm excited to hear that BioWare is going in a completely different direction. I've always hoped that the protagonist of the next Mass Effect saga might be a member of an alien race.