With BioWare recently having a multitude of projects upcoming and exciting, one such game less discussed is 2019’s Anthem. Often ridiculed as a Destiny clone and a mixture of similarly reproduced gameplay, the title was headed towards a reboot. Announced in late 2019 were the plans for something new and a whole overhaul of the existing game’s systems.
With the team working on a relaunch of the project due to the poor performance since its release, EA was discussing if putting new resources into the team was even worth it. Despite this, without disclosing how the eventual relaunch would work out, the hope for something fresh to Anthem Next to give it worth for new and existing players was real. With some promise of actual gameplay and player milestones, EA might have been able to pull it around. Yet, announced today by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier that the plans for an upgrade to Anthem are no longer being considered.
NEWS: Anthem Next has been canceled, sources tell Bloomberg. Story hitting shortly
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) February 24, 2021
Despite being able to pull together some amazing overhauls to existing titles in the past like Star Wars Battlefront II’s handling of loot boxes; it just wasn’t possible with Anthem. Citing difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other current projects needing attention, EA decided it would be best to stop the project overall. While this means that the game will feature no new updates, the existing service will still be online for now. While it’s unknown for how long, the possible impact of a second wave could have affected the player base and maybe even changed some BioWare executive’s minds. Despite starting with good expectations and high hopes at the end of 2019, it just wasn’t time for the next generation of Anthem gameplay.
So what do you think about EA’s decision to cancel Anthems future development? Be sure to let us know in the comments!