Electronic Arts' BioWare studio is apparently looking to use Unreal Engine for the next entry in its Mass Effect series.

As reported by VentureBeat, EA is hiring for a technical director for the sci-fi RPG franchise which requires that candidates have experience with Unreal Engine 4+ – presumably the plus means they might used the new Unreal Engine 5, too. The outlet also reports that "everything is n the table when it comes to tech" for the project.

The first three entries in the Mass Effect franchise were all developed using Epic's Unreal Engine, with development shifting to DICE's Frostbite for 2017's Mass Effect Andromeda. It's reported that this switch in tech caused a number of problems for the project, as well as for BioWare's subsequent title, Anthem.

Frostbite was created by DICE to power 2008's Battlefield: Bad Company and has since been used to power almost every mainstream title the developer has worked on since, with the exception of Mirror's Edge, which used Unreal 3.

EA acquired DICE in 2006 and used the proprietary engine to power a number of its franchises, including FIFA.

Word that BioWare was working on a new Mass Effect title broke at The Game Awards 2020, where a short teaser trailer was shown. The project has seemingly attracted a number of veterans from the studio.

The yin to that yang is the fact that a number of high-profile members of staff have departed BioWare in recent years, something that EA CEO Andrew Wilson told investors he is not concerned about.