It’s been rumored to be the case for a while now, but today BioWare more or less confirmed it – a full redesign and relaunch of Anthem is in the works. Anthem landed with a wet thud this past February, and most of the game’s promised post-launch content was cancelled back in September. Unsurprisingly, the game’s playerbase has dwindled to almost nothing as a result of its problems. It’s been clear for a long time that Anthem wasn’t going to be the live-service success BioWare wanted it to be and it was time to either double down in a serious way or cut bait and move on. Apparently, BioWare has chosen the former.
In a new blog post, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson announced the studio was embarking on a “substantial reinvention” of Anthem’s core gameplay…
We recognize that there’s still more fundamental work to be done to bring out the full potential of the experience, and it will require a more substantial reinvention than an update or expansion. Over the coming months we will be focusing on a longer-term redesign of the experience, specifically working to reinvent the core gameplay loop with clear goals, motivating challenges and progression with meaningful rewards – while preserving the fun of flying and fighting in a vast science-fantasy setting. And to do that properly we’ll be doing something we’d like to have done more of the first time around – giving a focused team the time to test and iterate, focusing on gameplay first.
In the meantime, don’t expect any significant new content for the current version of Anthem. The occasional seasonal event and some new stuff in the shop is all you’re getting.
We will continue to run the current version of Anthem, but move away from full seasons as the team works towards the future of Anthem. We’ll keep the game going with events, store refreshes, and revisiting past seasonal and cataclysm content – starting with our anniversary towards the end of the month.
I still contend that Anthem’s core “sci-fi Iron-Man RPG” concept is fundamentally sound, but the game clearly needed a lot more polishing and content before it was sent out the door. Here’s hoping BioWare is actually given the time and resources to get Anthem right.
Anthem is currently available on PC, Xbox One, and PS4, but I suggest you wait for the relaunch.
