This game has been confirmed to take place around 600 years after the events of the original Mass Effect trilogy. The mission to explore the Andromeda galaxy is said to be launched sometime between the events of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, with the voyage taking about 600 years.
The first game in the Mass Effect series to feature full nudity.
In the Deluxe Edition of the game you are given a pet Pyjak (Space Monkey) and you are told: "Don't feed it after 23:59, don't bathe it, and limit its exposure to solar radiation." This is a reference to Gremlins(1984) where the titular creatures would transform into dangerous monsters when fed after midnight, multiply when wet, and die in direct sunlight.
Bioware, the producers of this Mass Effect and the original trilogy, have hinted at the possibility of the original 3 Mass Effects being remastered on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Having been denied a remaster, Microsoft made 2 and 3 backward compatible on the N7 Anniversary in 2016. *The Legendary Edition, a remaster of the original trilogy, was released in May 2021.
The title "Andromeda" refers to the name of the galaxy in which players will get to explore. Exploration will be done in an entirely new ship called the Tempest, which is based of the Normandy blueprint specs.