It finally happened, there is an official release date for Mass Effect: Andromeda, and I for one can’t wait. In a blog post this morning, Bioware announced that the release of the highly anticipated game would be seeing a date a mere three months away.

Within the blog post, written by Vice President of BioWare Aaryn Flynn, it was confirmed that Mass Effect: Andromeda would in fact be getting released on March 21st in North America, with Europe having to wait an additional two days. Many rumors surrounding the release turned out to be correct. Flynn also explained that over the holiday break, he had several members of the studio take home a copy of the game to make sure it ran smoothly.

Over this holiday break, developers at BioWare took home a version of the game in what we call the ‘holiday build’.  This is a longstanding studio tradition that goes back to the early days of the original Mass Effect. Many load up a PC or console and go home to play as much as possible at their leisure. Coming back from holiday, the feedback has been great. Getting the endorsement from members of our studio, many of whom played key roles on the original trilogy, was definitely a key factor in helping us lock in on the date.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will also run on the Frostbite game engine for the first time in the series’ run. Flynn said that the game will deliver a, “tremendous graphical jump from the trilogy to Mass Effect: Andromeda”. It’s also important to note that the game will have a new story, separate from the original series, along with new characters, planets, species, and gameplay system.

In the final paragraph of the post, Flynn commended the Mass Effect fans community for their patients and enthusiasm for the new game. Flynn wrote, “The passion you have for the franchise continues to drive us… We’re excited about how far we are going with the franchise, and we hope you find it’s been worth the wait”.