Austin Wintory Releases Early Music for Mass Effect 5

Composer Austin Wintory has released nearly 20 minutes of early music he created while in discussions with BioWare and Electronic Arts about scoring Mass Effect 5, describing the project’s cancellation and BioWare’s closure as a deeply felt loss. Wintory said in a message accompanying the music that he had been in serious conversations with the companies for a couple of years about joining the game’s development. In 2025, while those discussions were ongoing, he produced the music as a musical exploration and a tribute to the series’ earlier scores. He said he had not yet learned the game’s narrative details. The recordings use synthesizers, vocals and a large orchestra. Wintory said he wanted to build on the work of original Mass Effect composers Jack Wall and Sam Hulick, combining analog synthesizers with a more closely integrated orchestral sound. The released collection includes a track called “The Legacy of Shepard,” which draws on the original game’s theme, and a remix of that composition. Wintory’s release presents the pieces as early drafts, not as a finished score. The music has not been confirmed as selected for or scheduled to appear in the game. His account...