Why BioWare Is Advertising Female Ryder In Mass Effect Andromeda

Ten years ago when Mass Effect was first advertised, we were all treated to the face of a male Commander Shepard. BioWare has now explained why it’s advertising a female version of Ryder in Mass Effect Andromeda.

Eurogamer talked with BioWare Boss, Aaryn Flynn, and he explains why the female character was shown first for Mass Effect Andromeda.

He said: “When we debuted male Shepard back in 2006, 10 years ago, it was a time when we drew inspiration from traditional entertainment marketing. So: ‘We need a iconic main character. We need an iconic everything else.

But I think the whole industry, us included, have moved beyond that. Our games let you choose your main character, I think everyone gets that nowadays. You don’t need to see a character to identify with, in the same way you might on a movie poster. People want to create their own characters, customize them, and we’re embracing that“.

Flynn is basically saying that they wanted gamers to know that they can create their own characters and wanted to show off that this game allows you to play as a female character.

In the first Mass Effect game, nobody even knew that playing as a female character was even an option until the game actually came out. BioWare wanted to change their marketing strategy with Andromeda and it has succeeded.