Report: Anthem Delayed Until 2019 and Could Have Major Implications on BioWare
If rumours are to be believed, serious pressure is mounting upon studio BioWare over the development of the Destiny-like Anthem, the new IP from big industry publishers EA. There’s no doubt the talent that BioWare has, heck, they’re one of my all-time favourite developers with the likes of Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and the Mass Effect series’. However, following the well-publicised issues that followed the troubled launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the huge controversy over Star Wars: Battlefront II loot box and progression systems, pressure is said to be seriously mounting up on BioWare and EA.
Outside of EA, even the reactions of the Destiny community over the continued mishandling of Destiny 2 towards developers Bungie and publisher Activision, not only are EA worried about how the community will react to Anthem if anything is considered to be anti-consumer, but they’re also concerned about any backlash they might receive from a growing and agitated community, and for good reason.
Sources close to Jason Schreier at Kotaku has revealed some of the growing pressures that maybe taking place at BioWare. For one, EA are said to be re-examining their plans regarding Anthem’s loot box and micro-transaction system, which can only be a good thing and from what Schreier says, microtransactions in Anthem are only said to only involve cosmetics. Outside of in-house developments, sources say that some major YouTubers spreading “misinformation and inflammatory rhetoric about EA” has only added to that pressure from EA to BioWare, painting images that liken EA to that of Disney villains.
To ensure that BioWare and EA get the launch of Anthem absolutely right, which has already been in development since 2012, reports from the sources also say that the game might now release early 2019 and some sources say that the initial “fall 2018” release window that was announced at E3 2017 was “never realistic”, especially as not only do BioWare have the quality of the game to work on, but also a planned beta, a launch on EA Access and any scheduled patches and updates that the game will need.
As EA ramp up the production of Anthem, by putting more of their staff to work on the title, some developers are said to be suffering from anxiety with the pressure that not only comes with working on a title such as Anthem, but also potential repercussions from EA and the gaming community. And with the recent closures of not only Visceral Games, but also BioWare Montreal following the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, there is every reason to feel concerned.
Personally, I hate to hear of anyone suffering from anxieties, especially in industries with such high pressure from across the board and with potential jobs on the line. EA really want to get in on the Destiny and The Division market share with Anthem, and judging from the reveal at E3 last year, it all seems very promising. But I’m sure I speak for all of us that are looking forward to Anthem, we want this game to be the best it can be and it needs to have a smooth launch, and if that means the game being delayed by quite some margin, then so be it. Should we hear any more on this story, we’ll update you right away.