'Mass Effect 4' release date: What the supposed leaks are revealing

 Bioware

With a game as highly anticipated as "Mass Effect 4," also known as "Mass Effect Andromeda," it's inevitable for leaks to pop up and reveal essential details about it.

At this point, the leaks have become so prevalent that they are enough to give fans a reasonable idea of what they can expect from the game when it does indeed come out.

First off, the name of the game's main character may have been inadvertently revealed. In a recent trailer for the game, eagle-eyed fans honed in on some dogtags that appeared to have the name "Rider" etched onto them. Even though the character's name has not been officially revealed, the name Rider would reportedly make sense mainly because it would continue the franchise's practice of naming the protagonist after a prominent space explorer, according to What Culture. In this case, Rider is being seen as a reference to Sally Ride, the first American woman in space.

Previous "Mass Effect" titles have also featured companions joining the protagonist on his/her journeys and that figures to continue with the fourth installment.

This time around, the player's companions may even be able to join them on more missions than in previous installments. According to Express UK, the companions in "Mass Effect 4" will also be given access to jetpacks, and that means that they will be able to accompany the protagonist just about everywhere.

Exploration will also reportedly be a central theme of "Mass Effect 4" as players will be tasked with locating a new home for humanity.

To help with that ambitious voyage across the galaxy, players will be given access to a new ship known as The Tempest. Players can also reportedly expect to have a different kind of experience piloting The Tempest as opposed to the ship present in the original trilogy as revamped mechanics and controls will be introduced in "Mass Effect 4."

"Mass Effect 4" is currently expected to launch late 2016.

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