Kotaku reporter has some extra bad news

Just so we're clear, you're suggesting that after Bio allegedly went through development hell and surely noticed all along that it had a host of issues to fix, from bugs to tired faces to filling in barren landscapes to m/m romance options, etc., etc., & etc. that they abandoned their duty to prioritize these fixes and patches and polishes and thought that the game was good to go as is, allowing them plenty of time to get DLC going?  If so, that would make me and I'm sure a lot of people here disappointed to hear that.

I wouldn't exactly say that as they did do one for DAO known as Awakening you might recall and besides I believe I said it's unlikely to happen because the game would have needed to sell well in order for EA/Bioware to consider it which it didn't so that's a moot point.

That's kinda why I was/am hoping for a sequel more than DLCs.

With DLCs, you can only add to the existing game. You can add new missions but the large empty space that you are talking about will still be there because DLCs will never be fully integrated into the main game. For example, imagine they make the quarian DLC. You couldn't even really play it before the end of the main game because the quarians would not be in the main plot, so it only would make sense as a post ending DLC. Even if you made one with a few new locations that you can visit during the game (like they did with Leviathan), it wouldn't change the weird 20 hours you still need to explore Voeld or Elaaden.

However, if they made an ME:A2, they could use the technical framework that they already created and focus on molding that into a much better, more streamlined and well paced experience from start to finish. No patch, no band-aid but a well conceptualized and crafted player expirience from start to finish. That's what I want to see in a Mass Effect game, more than a bunch of decent DLC that is still added to a mediocre game.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind seeing some ME:A DLC and I'd probably play it. But a new game, well crafted from the ground up, based on ME:A's technical foundation, that's what I really want to see.

I'm still pretty confident that this one already was in production at release. It all depends how far along it is in the producvtion cycle and what revenue the company expect by releasing it. If it was in the last stages, it wouldn't make any sense not releasing it. If it was only an idea and a plan, everything can happen. Ultimately I guess that's what the voice actors are tweeting about. Not some patch, not some additional DLCs, but that.

Fingers,toes,tentacles etc crossed.

My point is, it works now. The gameplay is (IMO) really solid, they can make beautiful environments and it's a cohesive experience. It took them 3 1/2 to 4 years (out of 5) to get to that point, which is why the actual content of the game is not great but they did get there. Seems to me that all of that effort should be used now. I'd say, for a sequel, don't experiment too much, don't try to go crazy on features (like those procedural planets, space flight or whatever), just give us the same game, only with improved, streamlined and better paced content and a better thought out and written story and characters. Also, don't forget to schedule some time for the polish and BAM, beautiful Mass Effect game, ready to go.

Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

Why? We're dipshits.

Amazon had a second novel "Mass Effect Andromeda: the lost ark" in their release schedule for June 27th and a third "Mass Effect: Initiation" for October 20th. They may be dependent on DLC though, with the first obviously sounding like having to do something with the Quarian ark and the second maybe with more background on the Benefactor? So maybe they are on the back burner now.

Yes, well we can't mix them. We're not at liberty to play bartender. Especially when it comes to character writing or story. We have to deal with what we got, and even if most ingredients are there, that's not very helpful for someone ordering champaign and getting cheap wine instead.

Gameplay isn't everything. Far as I am concerned I'm not buying Bioware games for gameplay but for story and characters.