User blog comment:The Milkman/Extended Expectations, Part II/@comment-4939034-20120628162252/@comment-3228423-20120628211051

Well that may be true, but it's like the ending of Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3. If Shepard dies during ME2, you can't continue the save into the third game.

Of course, if it can continue from the Control and Synthesis endings, instead of Shepard dealing with a new threat, it would have to take the form of a squadmate or a new character entirely. If Refusal was the ending of choice, it would have to take place in the next cycle detailing their (most likely the yahg though) struggle against the Reapers. If that were the case, the game itself would be impractically large.