'Mass Effect: Andromeda' release date, news: Director talks about 'Destiny' inspiration, responds to criticisms

BioWare is gearing up for the release of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" in early 2017. Following the unveiling of brand-new gameplay footage at The Game Awards on Dec. 1, the game developer has revealed new details about the upcoming action role-playing third-person shooter video game. Game director Mac Walters also addressed recent criticisms of the fans.

In an interview with GameSpot, Walters revealed that "Andromeda" was inspired by Bungie's "Destiny."

"The fluid movement and very tight combat mechanics. Specifically, camera, controls, and character," Walters said, detailing the specific elements that inspired them.

Also, given the open world environment of "Andromeda," Walters stated that they really wanted the game to be about exploration. As such, there are a lot of tools and items will give players the ability to move around freely. With the presence of skill trees and crafting, players are also given the freedom of choice and how they play the game.

Furthermore, "Andromeda" also features different environments that will lead to unique gameplay experiences depending on the choices that players make.

"Each planet has its own history and backstory and they are designed specifically with unique characters, stories, challenges, and choices. Each world has its own main narrative, with a central storyline throughout, and key decisions that impact that planet for the rest of the game," Walters explained.

Meanwhile, the game director addressed some of the criticism they received following the reveal of the latest gameplay trailer. Many had said that the animation of the upcoming game failed to impress.

"Cinematics are very complicated, and have a lot of dependencies," Walters said. "It's one of the last things to get polished, and something we work on up until the end."

He assured players that the final product of the game will be much better than the in-game footage that they released which was not pre-rendered. Players can also look forward to more game details that will be released in the coming weeks and months.

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" will be released in March 2017 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows PC.