Anthem, a flawed but beautiful experiment by BioWare, is no more. Sure, the powers that be over at EA are going to keep the lights on forAnthem’s live service for the time being (until the existing player base, small enough as it is, dwindles to nothing), but they’re not going forward with plans to develop the next step of the title, previously referred to asAnthem NEXT. That’s a bummer even if it isn’t a surprise, but there is the slightest bit of silver lining here.
The announcement makes vague efforts to “laser focus” on other franchise properties likeDragon AgeandMass Effect, with no real details as to what that means. Luckily,Jason SchreierofBloomberghas word that the Dev team of about 30 people who were previously working onAnthem NEXTupdates will instead be shifted over toDragon Age 4, a sign that BioWare might actually be serious about following up on the events ofDragon Age: Inquisitionafter its 2014 release and Game of the Year win.
Here’s the full blog post from studio directorChristian Daileyover at BioWare’s page:
In the spirit of transparency and closure we wanted to share that we’ve made the difficult decision to stop our new development work on Anthem (aka Anthem NEXT). We will, however, continue to keep the Anthem live service running as it exists today.
Since Anthem’s launch, the team has been working hard to continually improve the game, releasing multiple updates that brought with them a variety of improvements and introduced new content to play. Towards the end of 2019 we expanded on that effort and started working on a more fundamental restructure of the game.
During the development we’ve provided updates revealing some of the team’s work through blog posts and conversations with you on social media and it’s been inspiring for us to see the positive reactions and feedback. I’ve been incredibly proud of the work the team has been doing, and excited to see and play each new build of the experience.
2020 was a year unlike any other however and while we continue to make progress against all our game projects at BioWare, working from home during the pandemic has had an impact on our productivity and not everything we had planned as a studio before COVID-19 can be accomplished without putting undue stress on our teams.
I know this will be disappointing to the community of Anthem players who have been excited to see the improvements we’ve been working on. It’s also disappointing for the team who were doing brilliant work. And for me personally, Anthem is what brought me to BioWare, and the last two years have been some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my career.
Game development is hard. Decisions like these are not easy. Moving forward, we need to laser focus our efforts as a studio and strengthen the next Dragon Age, and Mass Effect titles while continuing to provide quality updates to Star Wars: The Old Republic.
To the Anthem community, thank you for your passion and creativity. Your feedback and suggestions most certainly help shape the team’s direction, and on a personal note, your kindness and encouragement were much needed last year.
Please stay safe and be kind to each other. Strong alone, stronger together.
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Meanwhile,IGNchatted with EA chief studios officerLaura Miele, who pretty much said the same thing as Dailey:
“2020 and 2021 are unprecedented years when it comes to game development, so we must prioritize both the player experience and what’s best for the people working on these games. We want to make sure BioWare is able to focus on making the nextDragon AgeandMass Effectgames the best they can be, while also continuing to provide quality updates to [Star Wars: The Old Republic]. That’s ultimately the best way we can be in service to our players, focusing on these fan favorites and delivering on the communities’ expectations.Anthemwas a creative risk and its challenges have taught us a lot about game design and even how we can improve our development process. This not only benefits developers, but players as well.”
The very real effects of the COVID pandemic have been felt around the world in just about every industry you can think of. However, it’s also true that this once-in-a-lifetime event has been a go-to excuse for cutbacks, cancellations, and delays across the media landscape. COVID had nothing to do with the poor preparation leading up toAnthem’s launch in terms of story, content, and a roadmap to season updates.Anthemcould have been the thing that carried BioWarethroughthe pandemic rather than an albatross around its neck during it. Instead, we’re left wondering what could have been and looking ahead to what’s next.
KEEP READING:‘Dragon Age 4’: New Look Teased as BioWare Execs Exit
