Can Mass Effect Survive Without Shepard?

There has been a lot of speculation over whether or not Mass Effect 3 was the final chapter in the Mass Effect universe. The story of the Reapers, a synthetic life form that executes all organic life every 50,000, was a compelling one. Coupled with BioWare's ability to develop fleshed out characters, the Mass Effect franchise made us feel for Shepard and his companions. We wanted to understand the geth, cure the genophage, and protect the galaxy from the Reapers.

Fabrice Condominas, BioWare producer, has confirmed that the ME4 is in the works, but that Shepard's role in the franchise ended in ME3 – the studio wants to avoid having a Shepard copycat in the upcoming installment.

“This is really our starting point,” says Condominas. “Now the Mass Effect universe is vast, and very, very rich...we don't even know what kind of time frame we're going to be in.”

How will this effect the franchise, which has been centered around the Shepard's role in the military? And is this a shift into a more open-world exploration of the universe, as opposed to the linear form the storytelling the previous games followed?

Would you play Mass Effect with no Commander Shepard?