A sad mess... Here is the sentence which would sum up the short existence ofAnthem in the video game history books. Electronic Arts and Bioware ultimately chose to cancel the redesign of the title which had been in development since the end of 2019.
At the beginning of February, we learned that EA had to quickly decide on the future of the software imagined by the creators of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Named Anthem Next internally, the redesign of the game mobilized a few dozen developers who had the difficult task of rethinking almost everything after a failed launch in February 2019. Unfortunately, this new version will not be released...
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A bitter failure
In a press release published on its blog, Bioware announced the pure and simple cancellation of this famous Anthem Next. A real fiasco for the studio, which was looking somehow for a solution to save its game from drowning. The main reason given is obviously the COVID-19 pandemic, even if that probably does not explain everything.
From now on, Bioware wants to refocus its efforts on the next Dragon Age but also on Mass Effect, a new opus of which was announced at the Game Awards last December. The MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will also receive other updates aimed at improving the gaming experience. As for Anthem, the servers will continue to run despite the cancellation of the revamp.
What do we think of it at Clubic?
It's a real fiasco for Bioware and Electronic Arts but it's probably the most reasonable decision there is. It was nearly impossible to imagine a fresh start for Anthem as its release was so decried and its content derided for its lack of depth. Now, the Canadian studio will be able to turn to the projects that players are really waiting for… And the developers will have no room for error.
