Mass Effect 3 story files leaked

By Fred Dutton Published 7 November, 2011

BioWare: "We urge fans not to read them."

A lengthy story breakdown for Mass Effect 3 has been leaked online, developer BioWare has confirmed.

The document was mined from a beta version of the game that, as reported earlier today, accidentally made its way onto Xbox Live over the weekend.

The document was reportedly found by Russian fansite Bioware.ru which posted it in full.

BioWare has confirmed the leak, but insisted that the document is not representative of how the finished game will turn out.

"We are still investigating, but it appears that some internal story files have been leaked," read a post on its forums.

"Even though the information in those files is out of date and does not reflect the final story experience, we urge fans not to read them if they want to experience the purest form of the story in Mass Effect 3."

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • jonbwfc #1 7 months ago

    It seems you need to be able to read Russian to understand the posts in the forums, so I suspect there's an awful lot of people for whome this isn't a problem.

  • yoomazir #2 7 months ago

    too late, saved me 60 bucks

  • Kaonazhie #3 7 months ago

    This is real? I was hoping it was fake - the leaked story details sound like a bad fan fiction and are not reassuring for somebody (me) who already had large doubts over ME3, after seeing that DA2 was utter irredeemable trash.

    What a shame.

  • mr_pink #4 7 months ago

    SPOILER: If you get the good ending ME3 ends with Wrex teabagging The Illusive Man (with all four testicles).

  • NewbieZilla #5 7 months ago

    @Kaonazhie

    Have you played the first 2? If yes, you actually thought it'd be a good move to read that stuff rather than playing the game when it came out? Wow.

  • mr_pink #6 7 months ago

    My mistake, that is actually in the upcoming DLC.

  • fragglerocks #7 7 months ago

    Great, this means I'm going to have to spend from now til release date avoiding gaming forums!

  • Markitron #8 7 months ago

    At least this confirms that they are STILL planning on having a story in it, I was beginning to worry....................

  • mr_pink #9 7 months ago

    SPOILER: Shepard's pets are now fully-voiced NPCs. You can go on side-quests to buy them accessories and have them groomed, or to dig up a bone one of them buried on its home world.

  • Nithron #10 7 months ago

    Lately, I've taken to deliberately reading the ends of TV series' and movies alike before watching them. This may seem strange, but I am completely sick of putting in significant amounts of time and then finding out the story is complete and utter predictable nonsense.

    This has saved me from watching the promising-looking Falling Skies, amongst others.

    So yes, I am tempted to read this. Even though I was a fan of the second game.
    Edited by Nithron at 07/11/11 @ 17:38

  • Softie2k #11 7 months ago

    Basically, Mass Effect was called a "Space Opera" but the story hasn't moved on from the first game.

    Did anything at all happen in Mass Effect 2?

  • mr_pink #12 7 months ago

    SPOILER: Garrus develops an unusual fetish which actually ends up putting the universe at risk again, once all the Reaper stuff is put to bed.

  • epiazk #13 7 months ago

    Read em already, thought it was alright tbh. I hated DA2 but hey, I wanted an RPG. ME I always had fun with, don't understand why so many hate on it, it never really pretended to be anything other than what it was.

  • Nova1977 #14 7 months ago

    This is all kinds of crazy. I bet Bioware regret delaying ME3 now, people just can't wait anymore.

  • mr_pink #15 7 months ago

    SPOILER: You can now play pranks on ship mates, such as swapping the labels on their lunches in the fridge and putting Asari 'mating balm' in their armour.

  • knocker #16 7 months ago

    Apparently the story starts with Shephard jacking in his job and become a water utilities technician. One day a princess sends out an SOS ....

  • Peter_LIAR_Molyneux #17 7 months ago

    So Bioware leaks their own story and then claims that it "does not reflect the final story experience". Sure guys.

    I'm actually pleasantly surprised that Bioware didn't automatically blame pirates for their own incompetence. Most other developers seem to do that (looks at Epic).
    Edited by Peter_LIAR_Molyneux at 07/11/11 @ 18:52

  • mr_pink #18 7 months ago

    SPOILER: George Lucas was brought in as a story consultant, there is now a 30 minute interactive cutscene where you have to resolve a Volus trade dispute and negotiate a deal on Citadel taxation policy.

  • the_dudefather #19 7 months ago

    I can't believe that the Normandy crash lands on the planet that dragon age takes place on at the end

  • rob_of_the_robots #20 7 months ago

    Must...resist....

  • Skirlasvoud #21 7 months ago

    I don't want to resist. Where's this doc exactly? My russian isn't too good, so I can't locate it...
    Edited by Skirlasvoud at 07/11/11 @ 20:58

  • SheffAl #22 7 months ago

    I will read them as I want to know how the trilogy ends and I sure as hell aint buying the game.

  • Velios #23 7 months ago

    Ahh man, Shepard stopped the Reapers! I never saw that coming!!!!

  • Jonny5Alive7 #24 7 months ago

    MS have really fucked up on this one.

  • Inmediasress #25 7 months ago

    A lot of people who read it say it's rubbish so I guess my worries that the plot is going to be a rehashed ME2 version is spot on.
    Seeing EA/Bioware shit in their pants also pretty much confirms that the leak is legit.

  • hiddenranbir #26 7 months ago

    To be fair, we all have a pretty good idea anyway when it comes to Bioware stories.

    Although be nice to read up on how far they take the sexual innuendo in the finale \o/

  • Madder-Max #27 6 months ago

    So...I put Jeremy Soule in to Last FM to see what it comes up with. Nthing from elder scrolls....but it popped up woth Jack Wall - New Worlds. Its the original version of the Galaxy Map music.

    Then found this article

    [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/04/mass-effect-2-composer-jack-wall-explains-his-departure-from-the/]Description_here[/link]

    Basically he is not involved with ME3 and it looks like there were problems beween him and the team.

    Quite concerning really as yet another element of continuity is taken away from the Trilogy