Timeline Generation

Mass Effect 5 was named Universe partly because it let players generate alternate timelines based on their choices in previous entries, technical director says

Romain Toutain, franchise technical director at BioWare, revealed that the internal title Mass Effect Universe was considered for Mass Effect 5 partly due to a system that allowed players to generate alternate timelines based on their choices from previous games. This ambitious feature aimed to give players "absolute autonomy" by creating branching narratives and even generating content to ensure mission completion, though it was complex to implement. The article also touches on the leaked internal trailer for the game and the studio's shutdown.