The Mass Effect 5 project has reportedly been canceled, but a pre-production trailer originally intended for internal use recently leaked on Reddit. The video showcases the potential narrative and combat direction of the project, featuring an older Liara T'Soni, with the title Mass Effect: Universe appearing at the end.
Video Showcase:
The account that initially posted the video did not provide sufficient evidence to prove the authenticity of the footage. IGN later seemed to confirm its authenticity. The beginning of the trailer also notes that these scenes were created in-engine by a small team using pre-made assets and should not be considered final game content.
The protagonist appears to be a former soldier who has left war behind, subsequently engaging in operations with an interstellar spy thriller vibe. The video consists mainly of pre-rendered or CG-style shots, with no confirmed actual gameplay footage, but gunplay and abilities resembling biotics roughly illustrate the potential combat concepts. An older Liara also assists the protagonist during a bar brawl, providing clues about the story's timeline.
The "Mass Effect Universe" title shown at the end is tentatively translated as Mass Effect: Universe. Current materials are insufficient to determine whether it was an internal working title or the originally planned official title.