As previously rumored, BioWare is planning a major overhaul of Anthem which will see the studio reconsider some of Anthem‘s core concepts as part of an extensive process. They also commented on the relative failures of the game thus far and the negative reception it has garnered.
“One year ago, we were preparing to launch Anthem – a game that represented a big leap into new territory for us as a studio,” reads a post on the BioWare blog. “Creating new worlds is central to our studio mission, but it’s not easy. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we miss. What keeps us going is the support from players like you. Your feedback gives us guidance on how we can improve, and your passion inspires us with the courage to create.”
So how will BioWare correct their misses with Anthem? The studio’s blog post shares some hints regarding what’s to come.
“We have also heard your feedback that Anthem needs a more satisfying loot experience, better long-term progression and a more fulfilling end game,” reads the studio’s statement. “So we recognize that there’s still more fundamental work to be done to bring out the full potential of the experience, and it will require a more substantial reinvention than an update or expansion. Over the coming months, we will be focusing on a longer-term redesign of the experience, specifically working to reinvent the core gameplay loop with clear goals, motivating challenges and progression with meaningful rewards – while preserving the fun of flying and fighting in a vast science-fantasy setting. And to do that properly we’ll be doing something we’d like to have done more of the first time around – giving a focused team the time to test and iterate, focusing on gameplay first.”
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BioWare also notes that they will “continue to run the current version of Anthem, but move away from full seasons as the team works towards the future of Anthem.” Furthermore, they promise to “keep the game going with events, store refreshes, and revisiting past seasonal and cataclysm content – starting with our anniversary towards the end of the month.”
Needless to say, there’s a lot to breakdown here even if BioWare doesn’t share many specifics regarding their plans. In order to focus on these upcoming changes, we’ll refer you to articles such as this one and this one in order to help everyone who needs a catch-up or reminder in order to better understand why Anthem is a game in need of changes.
Everyone back with us? Good. So, it seems that BioWare will primarily focus on improving Anthem‘s gameplay loop, which is probably the right move considering that Anthem doesn’t currently have much of a gameplay loop in terms of a series of systems that reward you for properly for your time and efforts. BioWare also mentions their intent to give their developers more time actually work on Anthem, which is certainly nice to hear.
Interestingly, it’s been noted that this blog doesn’t really mention BioWare’s intentions regarding evolution and improvements to Anthem‘s story. We suppose this could just be a “one thing at a time” proposition, but it’ll be interesting to see whether or not BioWare eventually clarifies whether or not they intend to do anything with Anthem‘s thin story considering that many felt the game’s narrative and setting would be one of its highlights given the fact that BioWare used to excel in those departments.
Matthew Byrd is a staff writer for Den of Geek. He spends most of his days trying to pitch deep-dive analytical pieces about Killer Klowns From Outer Space to an increasingly perturbed series of editors. You can read more of his work here or find him on Twitter at @SilverTuna014.