Mass Effect Andromeda to sell around 3 million copies in the first week, EA says

EA has predicted that BioWare's upcoming RPG Mass Effect: Andromeda will sell around 3 million copies in just its first week on sale.

During a Q3 financial results earnings call, EA executive Blake Jorgensen said the series' previous title, Mass Effect 3, hit close to 6 million units, so "you'll probably see something like around 3 million units" before the end of the financial year on 31 March.

Andromeda is set for release on 23 March in Europe, and 21 March in US, meaning EA is predicting these sales after little over one week on sale.

Jorgensen also predicted that week one sales will make up 30-50% of the game's total sales, meaning EA expects around 6-9 million sales in total.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is one of the most anticipated games of 2017 and has been touted by the development team as the biggest game the studio has ever created.

In Januayr, BioWare unveiled a thrilling new cinematic trailer that featured a new world called Habitat 7, crew members Cora Harper and Salarian pilot Kallo Jath, a new alien species called the Angara and gave fans a sneak peak of the game's main antagonist Kett Archon.

The developer also released its fourth Andromeda Initiative mission briefing video, which highlighted the core characters that make up the game's core 'Pathfinder' team of intergalactic explorers.

Earlier this week, EA CEO Andrew Wilson mentioned during the earnings call that BioWare will be releasing its new IP by the first quarter of 2018.

"At the end of the fiscal year, our BioWare studio will be delivering an all-new IP, a clean-sheet design with new concepts, new gameplay mechanics, and new stories set in a unique new universe," Wilson said. "This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people thing about an action title, bringing friends together to play in an exhilarating new way."

BioWare vice president and general manager Aaryn Flynn later added that the team began working on the new IP in 2012 which is filled with "new characters, stories and gameplay."

"In 2012, we began crafting a new universe full of new characters, stories and gameplay," Flynn wrote in a blog post following the earnings call."Our ambition is simple: Draw upon 20+ years of development knowledge and lessons to create something fun and new for you to enjoy with your friends."

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to release on 23 March in Europe for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.