It may come as a surprise to some that Anthem has only been out for a little more than a year. The game was effectively dead on arrival, with fans and critics dragging the game due to server issues, repetitive gameplay, and numerous other issues. BioWare has since announced an Anthem overhaul but remained silent on its progress for months – until now.
In an update to the developer's blog, BioWare revealed that the Anthem overhaul is still in "incubation," an internal term that means prototyping. Right now, the team is still experimenting with ways to fix Anthem, working to improve the areas that "fell short," while leveraging what players enjoy about the game.
BioWare elaborated that fans shouldn't expect the update anytime soon, as the refinements are going to be a "longer process." Currently, Anthem has a 30-person team working on the changes, which is small but allows the team increased agility as adjustments are made, according to BioWare. The studio didn't reveal any specific developments, but it does seem dedicated to getting the game right. EA Play is planned for June, and many Anthem fans were hoping for some news regarding the game, though the blog post update does make it appearing there seem doubtful, at best.
While that may not be great to hear, BioWare did state it intends to be more transparent with development, from progress made to the day-to-day of the revamp. Anthem's Twitter account went silent for months following the game's release, frustrating the fans that stuck with the game. Communication is exactly what it needs, and if BioWare is true to its word, that may help win back some fan favor.
Anthem's core gameplay, while flawed, does work as intended — flying through the world feels satisfying, abilities are interesting to use, and shooting feels tight in most instances. However, missions, a lack of meaningful loot, and a lackluster story resulted in very few reasons to stick with the game post-launch, though Anthem did sell well regardless.
A recent earnings call revealed that EA intends to release 14 games between now and March 2021, though it didn't elaborate on each title. A relaunch of Anthem may help pad the company's earnings, incentivizing it to get the game's update out as soon as possible, but the small team taking its time seems like the right way to go.
Anthem is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: BioWare
