"Mass Effect 4" has been in development for some time now, and industry insider Shinobi602 stated via a NeoGAF post that the game is nearly finished. Furthermore, it may see an early 2016 release should the title not see any further delays in development. 

"From people I've talked to close to the thing, it's still a 2016 release but haven't yet nailed down deciding between Spring or Fall ... " Shinobi602's post reads. "Of course, delays are always possible with any game, but this thing's been in development since 2012. It won't skip next year." 

Following this was Bioware Senior Development Director Chris Wynn's recent announcement via Twitter that the team had just achieved a new milestone and they are on the way to surpassing the next major goal in the game's development. 

The Twitter announcement was posted April 2, nearly a year after Bioware producer Michael Gamble and Montreal studio director Yanick Roy told the public during the San Diego Comic Con that the development was still "somewhere in the middle." With nearly a year following that statement, it appears that Wynn's post reveals the title is already in its last leg of development. Unless delayed for fall of 2016, it is very likely that the title will hit store shelves by spring next year. 

Previous Twitter posts include concept art for the game and a few details regarding returning gameplay elements such as the Mako, a device used for exploration in the first "Mass Effect" game but was scrapped for both "Mass Effect 2" and "Mass Effect 3." 

According to a report by WCCFTech, Gamble also refuses to call the title "Mass Effect 4" because it gives the notion that the events of the game occur after the events of the first three titles. According to his statement, the next "Mass Effect" title occurs in the same universe but it should not be viewed as a sequel and instead as a stand-alone title.