Following a substantial amount of pre-release hype and excitement,Anthemhas ultimately not been the game most fans were expecting due to various issues, studio hardships, and gameplay problems. While BioWare continues to work on fixing the game and making general improvements, much of the promisedpost-launch DLC has been delayedindefinitely. Naturally, this news, along with critical and commercial disappointment, has caused concern among players regarding the overall life span ofAnthem, whose future has become even murkier following the latest news out of BioWare.
Over the past couple of weeks, key members of theAnthemdevelopment team have been moved off of the game andput back onDragon Age 4. This exodus includes lead director Jonathan Warner, lead producer Michael Gamble, and executive producer Mark Darrah, who revealed as much over his personal Twitter account earlier this week. Warner has since taken a sabbatical to take care of a family emergency while Gamble confirmed he’s no longer a contact forAnthem.
The optics on this sort of change where many of the development leads have departed isn’t good for fans on the outside looking in, especially for a game that essentially needs all hands on deck. It could be argued that Darrah and Gamble were always intended to be temporary help onAnthem, as they were originally added to the team on an emergency basis tohelp getAnthemto its release datein February.
Even with a good chunk of senior leadership departing, Mike Gamble later confirmed that lead producer Ben Irving and the head of live services Chad Robertson from BioWare Austin are the main points of contact going forward. Regardless, the news essentially confirms thatDragon Age 4is now the main focus and priority for BioWare, potentially casting doubt on the long-term future and viability ofAnthem.
The issues surroundingAnthemhave been amplified in the past few weeks as journalists like Jason Schreier have shed light onAnthem’s struggles in development as well asthe troubled culture at BioWarein general.Anthemlanguished in development for seven years, crippled by leadership indecision, a lack of cohesion, and Frostbite engine struggles. The studio issues apparently go back as far asDragon Age: Inquisitionand then worsened considerably forMass Effect Andromedaand beyond, where the games ultimately had to be rushed in the final 6-9 months to make the launch date.
As fans eventually discovered, the quality levels in these games dipped, leading many to hope that the work environment can change sooner than later to preventDragon Age 4from following a similar path.
Anthemis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
