New ‘Mass Effect Andromeda’ detail reveals possible name of protagonist

Very few details have been revealed about the upcoming “Mass Effect” trilogy’s new title, “Mass Effect Andromeda.” Aside from very vague story details, fans still have no clue on how the game will play out. However, a new detail about the title has been unveiled, which is reportedly the identity of the game’s protagonist.

The new information was acquired by series fans who have been picking apart every detail they could scour from the game's trailer that was released on Nov. 7 or the dubbed N7 day. Eurogamer reports that days after the release of the trailer, fans seem to have discovered the name of the protagonist of the fourth entry in the “Mass Effect” series. The findings suggest that Commander Shepard may really be just a name of the past for the series.

Upon re-watching the trailer several times, fans have noticed that a dog tag can be seen at the top left of the video, at the 0:44 mark. Although the dog tag is small, some fans have managed to zoom in on it to and discovered that the name on the accessory was Ryder.

To further solidify the newly discovered detail, fans stated that the name could be a reference to Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. The previous protagonist, Commander Shepard, is named after Alan Shepard, the first American man in space.

Aside from the name reference, fans also pointed out that the song used in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) trailer for “Mass Effect Andromeda” was "Riders in the Sky" by Johnny Cash. After the trailer was released, fans took to Twitter to ask the developer to change the song, Gamespot reports. Bioware Montreal Studio director Yanick Roy addressed the request and claimed that the usage of "Riders in the Sky" in the video will be clear later on, so this could mean that the new game protagonist's name is really Ryder.

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