Mass Effect: Andromeda was a disappointment on a lot of levels, but one of the biggest letdowns was the fact that BioWare never delivered the game’s promised story DLC, leaving players with an armful of loose ends. Will fans end up being similarly disappointed by BioWare’s next game, Anthem? We haven’t heard much about the game’s plot – will it focus more on “innovative” live services than telling a good story?
Well, new BioWare general manager Casey Hudson (who replaced Aaryn Flynn last year), has posted a “studio update” which provides some hope Anthem is on the right track. Hudson keeps things rather vague, but assures fans Anthem won’t scrimp on story and promises an “ongoing series of adventures.” You can check out the important portion of his message, below.
“When I returned to BioWare last summer, Mass Effect: Andromeda had just been released and there was a significant movement among players asking for story DL. As you know, we were not able to deliver story DLC for Andromeda -- this was as frustrating for us as it was for players, and it was something we knew we had to solve in future games.
That experience ultimately became a defining moment in refocusing BioWare’s mission. We need to delight players with new experiences and innovation, but we must stay focused on the importance of the world, character, and storytelling elements that players expect from our games. And our games must be designed to continue delivering new stories and experiences, in an ongoing relationship with players in the worlds we’re evolving together.
It’s in that spirit that we are working through production on Anthem -- a game designed to create a whole new world of story and character that you can experience with friends in an ongoing series of adventures. It will be unlike anything you’ve played, but if we do it right, it will feel very distinctly BioWare.”
I like what I’m hearing, but BioWare has a lot to make up for following Andromeda. What do you think? Will Anthem redeem BioWare’s reputation as a top-level storyteller and innovator?
We don’t yet have a solid release date for Anthem, but an early 2019 launch is likely.
