The decision to make the new protagonist not even “a soldier in the universe” is an interesting one, given the military focus of the Mass Effect trilogy.
Additionally, Condominas says that the studio wants to avoid making the protagonist of the new game a “Shepard 2.” He confirms that the game will be in a “very, very different context” from previous Mass Effect titles. Calling Shepard’s departure as protagonist the “starting point” of their production process, Condominas went on to describe that the studio is still in the planning phase for a fourth game. With the Mass Effect trilogy completed, BioWare producer Fabrice Condominas has told VG24/7 that the studio will certainly continue with Mass Effect, but that Commander Shepard will no longer be a feature of the series.
A BioWare producer says that Shepard’s successor for the next Mass Effect game will be very different.