Mass Effect: Andromeda Protagonist's Name May Have Been Discovered

Mass Effect fans may have discovered what the protagonist of the upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda will be called. Originally reported by Eurogamer, the Mass Effect subreddit has been abuzz with theories since a sharp eye (that belongs to Reddit user Benelioto) caught a dog tag on the left side of the screen 44 seconds into the N7 Day 2015 trailer.

The dog tag (pictured below) looks like it reads 'RYDER' or 'RIDER,' according to Benelioto. The user also mentioned that the protagonist could be named after Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. This would fit in with the naming of the original trilogy's protagonist, who was named Shepard after the first American man in space, Alan Shepard.

In the announcement trailer shown at E3, Andromeda was accompanied by Johnny Cash's rendition of "Ghost Riders In The Sky." Reddit user The_Iceman2288 was quick to point out that another name for "ghost" is "spectre," which is the title of a type of agent in the Mass Effect universe responsible for maintaining galactic stability.

In addition to this possible coincidence, when a fan asked BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy if they could change the song to "proper music that fits the Mass Effect universe," Roy replied in a tweet with "No, sorry, because there are very good reasons for that choice of song for the trailer that should become clear later on."

With there being "very good reasons" for the choice of Rider-themed music, the suspected name, "RYDER/RIDER," seems more likely.

What we know for sure is that we won't be seeing any familiar faces in Andromeda, including the original protagonist Commander Shepard, which BioWare senior development director Chris Wynn has asked fans to "be open-minded" about.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will be the fourth main game in BioWare's science-fiction role-playing series and is set for a holiday 2016 release.