Mass Effect is one of the most legendary sci-fi games in video game history, with an incredibly devoted fanbase. Now they can relive the epic cinematic saga and experience the legend of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy in a completely remastered 4K Ultra HD edition.
Counting themselves among the most devoted of fans, members of the Technicolor Games Realtime Lighting and FX teams were thrilled with the opportunity to bring their talents to Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Working on Lighting and FX both in game and in cinematics, the team polished every detail to deliver the most enhanced visual experience – in all working on approximately 470 lighting scenarios and 300 FX assets. Many of the existing effects were remastered using upgraded textures, materials and other FX parameters, all undertaken with great care in order not to deviate from the original style expected by fans. Both Lighting and VFX teams worked entirely in Unreal Engine, in close collaboration with the Bioware team providing tech support.
The teams worked from January through September 2020, transitioning quickly and seamlessly to remote work when the COVID pandemic hit last year.
The scope of work was as wide ranging as it gets. On the Lighting side, it included both exterior and interior level lighting; character lighting in levels; and cinematic lighting. The VFX work included both environmental and character impacts, including bullet and missile impacts – from vehicle explosions to gooey alien explosions and more. The scope also included everything from muzzle flashes and tracers to solar flares and other atmospheric effects, as well as holograms and various other sci-fi effects.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is available now from EA Bioware.
