When it comes to Mass Effect , you expect memorable characters.

And that's exactly what BioWare will task a new Senior Cinematic Animator with doing: Helping create a dramatic, enduring character.

That's clear in a recent job listing for developer BioWare Montreal. This person will generate "emotionally believable characters that allow game players to interact with the game, whether photorealistic or stylized, in a realistic and believable fashion." That's a good sign; it means the emphasis on narrative and plot will be just as strong as ever. We're seeing that wane a bit these days so it's nice to hear.

Thus far, the fourth Mass Effect effort remains an unofficial mystery. We know it's coming, of course, but details remain scarce. For now, anyway.

It's tough to get BioWare to spill the beans.

Now that we have a concrete launch date for Dragon Age: Inquisition (October 7), fans are wondering if the developer will start talking about the new Mass Effect entry.

Studio director Yanick Roy took to Twitter and described the development status as being "somewhere in the middle." He hasn't been all that forthcoming in recent months, saying previously that his team was more interested in "doing it right rather than doing it fast." Well, I'll go with that. Still, we don't know much about the next Mass Effect ; we're not even sure what it'll be called.

It may not be called "Mass Effect 4" because the original trilogy is over; the Commander Shepard story arc is complete. Therefore, we could be looking at something entirely new…and the fans can't wait to see what it is.