'Mass Effect: Andromeda' News Update: BioWare Abandons Multiplayer Beta; Exploration of Planets Seen In Teaser Video

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" promo image masseffect.com / EA

The multiplayer beta for "Mass effect: Andromeda" has been cancelled, BioWare recently announced.

The developer broke the news in an official blog post, while also revealing plans for PAX East. The expo is scheduled to take place on March 10-12 in Boston and players who want to try the multiplayer mode can do so during the event.

BioWare producer Fernando Melo also tweeted about the scrapped multiplayer beta on Wednesday, saying: "Sorry we won't have MPTT. I know many were looking forward to it (as were we). Long story but right decision for how close we [are] to [being] live."

The multiplayer feature was a great addition to "Mass Effect 3," and it seems that the co-op mode in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" is following the same pattern. Matches allow players to join a four-man team and fight against multiple waves of enemies. It's also worth noting that it's the only way for gamers to play as non-human races.

 Meanwhile, the studio released a new promo video on YouTube detailing the exploration aspect of the game. The clip shows that over 100 planets are in Andromeda's Helius cluster for players to discover. Players will notice that planets and moons in whatever system they're on are visible from their ship's windows.

Although over a hundred planets may seem too big to explore, it was revealed that players can only visit "a handful of beautifully crafted worlds" in the galaxy. Making the experience more interesting are the side quests, challenges and unique characters in every planet. Additionally, the footage takes fans to Elaaden, a desert planet inhabited by a colony of Krogans. Elaaden is one of the planets that can be developed during the game. It starts off without any water and an extremely hot climate but once a player begins helping out, the planet becomes more viable.

Developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts, "Mass Effect: Andromeda" officially launches on March 21 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

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