'Mass Effect Andromeda' release date rumor: New leak points to March 21 launch; Bioware dishes on gameplay, story and protagonists

"Mass Effect" developer BioWare is still keeping the release date of "Mass Effect Andromeda" a secret from fans, but another clue appears to have spoiled the surprise.

The Xbox One digital download code found on Amazon states that the title will be playable on "21 March 2016." It is to be noted that this date has already passed.

But there might be an error there if one were to consider a previous leak, wherein Dark Horse announced that a "Mass Effect Andromeda" art book set for release on Mar. 21, 2017 along with the game itself.

Furthermore, Mar. 21 falls on a Tuesday, which is a day games are usually released. However, Electronic Arts (EA) clarified to IGN that the date is just a placeholder as they are yet to announce the specific launch date.

In related news, creative director Mac Walters revealed a few more details about "Mass Effect Andromeda," one being the fact that it is not the beginning of a new trilogy.

He took to Twitter to explain, "To be clear. Just because [Mass Effect Andromeda] isn't start of a trilogy, doesn't mean we haven't been planning for future adventures. Just not 3 acts."

As revealed before, players will take on the role of Ryder sibling. They can choose between a male and female version, who are both the children of one Alec Ryder.

No matter who players choose as their character, the rest of the Ryder family will still be part of their journey in "Mass Effect Andromeda."

Teasing the story of the protagonists, Walters told Game Informer, "Yes, for the universe, there's much more you could explore, and we want to tease that, but it feels like its own story. It's like, 'Great. I had my Ryder sibling becoming-a-hero story. What's next? Is it going to be Ryder? Is it going to be something else? Who knows?'"

Walters also confirmed that the game will feature a galaxy map, but a "very different" one. He added that the crew members and companions cannot die of players cannot die and that the game's campaign will be available to play offline.

He also said that no characters from the "Mass Effect" trilogy will be part of "Mass Effect Andromeda" and emphasized that the story of the upcoming game will be very different from the original.