In an interview with PC Gamer, Bioware CEO, Dr. Ray Mazuka announced that while Mass Effect 3 isn’t the end of the franchise, it is the end of Commander Shepard’s part in it. He stated that their aim was to give fans an ending to Shepard’s story, but to also use Mass Effect 3 to open up the world to new fans who are just coming into the series. With such a wide range of characters to choose from there’s no reason why the stories should center around Shepard, but it’s always sad to see an icon like Shepard retired from a series.