Standing as BioWare’s take on a loot shooter,Anthemhas struggled to stay up on its own two feet.
The game released in a state where it was clear that it wasin need of more development timeand a better defined sense of direction. There were bugs,crashes,attempts at player protests,delays of post-launch plans, andsome major studio departures.
But despite all of that, bothBioWareandpublisher EAhave stated repeatedly that they were supporting the game for the long haul.
On Monday, nearly 12 months afterAnthem’sbrutal launch, BioWare general manager Casey Hudson gave an update on what’s next for the game: a long-term redesign.
Wrote Hudson in a blog post:
“Over the last year, the team has worked hard to improve stability, performance and general quality of life while delivering three seasons of new content and features. We have also heard your feedback thatAnthemneeds a more satisfying loot experience, better long-term progression and a more fulfilling end game. So 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.”
Hudson added thatAnthemwill remain live in its current state for the time being, but won’t have full seasons of content updates like originally planned so that the development team can focus on the redesign. “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,“Hudson wrote.
Although it served as a more official announcement, Hudson’s blog post confirmed what has been known for months, asKotaku’s Jason Schreier was first to reportthatAnthemwas in for an overhaul back in November.
Details on what this redesign will entail, however, are still unclear. But Hudson at least acknowledged that the initial development process forAnthemwasn’t what it should have been.
Once a name synonymous with high-quality RPGs, the current console generation hasn’t been kind to the Edmonton-based developer. AlthoughDragon Age: Inquisitionfound success early on,Mass Effect: Andromeda–handled by what used to be BioWare Montreal– went through a rough development cycle, and was met with heavy criticism from fans and critics alike upon its 2017 release. ThenAnthemfollowed, falling face first out of the gate.
BioWare is confirmed to have a newDragon Agegamein the works, and reportedlyanotherMass Effectprojectas well, but both are a long way off.
Design overhauls aren’t unheard of for service-based games likeAnthem, with titles likeFinal Fantasy XIVandNo Man’s Skyserving as the biggest success stories. Still, BioWare has a lot of work to do before it can even haveAnthemconsidered among that type of company.
