Mass Effect: Andromeda - Interview @ Ars Technica

Ars Technica has done an interview with Aaryn Flynn and Creative Director Mac Walters. 
Here's a quote about how the the game will start from a clean slate:

The idea of having the slate wiped clean, so to speak, is very attractive to both Flynn and Walters; Flynn mentioned that it's long been a regret of Walters that they spread the Mass Effect story far out over the entire Milky Way galaxy, with the game's galactic map showing a civilization that appears to stretch from arm to arm without too many unexplored nooks and crannies."With Andromeda," said Walters, "our goal is to start that at a much smaller scale-though the scales are still massive-and give you a sense that there is much more to explore, rather than saying ‘here's the whole galaxy.'"

Thanks to Anacronian Stryx at the Bioware forums for finding this.