Steve Cortez

Concept and design

Steve Cortez was written by Dusty Everman, a level designer who had previously written for supporting characters in Mass Effect 2, including Yeoman Kelly Chambers. For Cortez, Everman aimed to write about a meaningful human relationship that happens to be between two men, supporting the game's theme of total interstellar war and widespread loss. He acknowledged he could not write from personal experience and noted player concerns about relationships unintentionally shifting from friendly to romantic, which seemed greater for same-sex romances.

Everman designed Cortez's dialogue tree to allow players to get to know him regardless of the player character's presumed sexual orientation, framing the arc as a shared journey and building friendship that could lead to romantic interest by the end. He stated that not one word was written lightly, expecting heavy scrutiny. Cortez's initial character designs had a lighter skin color, but Casey Hudson picked the final look, with artist Rion Swanson responsible for the artwork.

The change occurred late in development, leaving insufficient time to adjust lighting to complement his final skin tone, resulting in many scenes being dimly lit by design. Leo Lucien-Bay served as cinematic designer for a dance scene at the Purgatory dance club, completed under intensive time constraints.

Appearances

Lieutenant Steven "Steve" Cortez is introduced in Mass Effect 3 as a Systems Alliance officer assigned to the Normandy SR-2 to oversee cargo bay modifications before the Reaper invasion. He maintains the armory with his friend James Vega and pilots the UT-47A Kodiak, transporting Commander Shepard's fire squad for field missions. If the player engages with Cortez during downtime, Shepard learns he grieves the loss of his husband Robert to the Collectors. Shepard can be supportive, and Cortez eventually finds strength to move on, surviving his shuttle's crash during the final assault on Earth. A male Shepard can enter a relationship with Cortez if the player reciprocates his affections.

Reception and controversy

Craig Takeuchi from the Georgia Straight highlighted homophobic comments posted on several websites. Kevin VanOrd from GameSpot reported verbal abuse from a reader referencing Cortez's perceived ethnicity and sexual orientation. By April 2012, EA vice-president Jeff Brown claimed the company received several thousand letters and emails protesting LGBT content in games like Mass Effect 3. Commentators concluded the backlash was driven by disapproval of male homosexuality in the series; Andreas Blüml noted that lesbian options were common throughout the trilogy, while male same-sex options in Mass Effect 3 were anomalous and sparked what media termed a "gay controversy" in the United States. In a 2016 Forbes article, Paul Tassi scrutinized the notoriety surrounding the "Mass Effect Gay Sex Scene" and concluded it was merely shirtless cuddling between Shepard and Cortez.