BioWare has finally admitted that Anthem is fundamentally broken and requires a major overhaul to reclaim its dwindling player base.
In a new blog post, general manager Casey Hudson revealed that the sci-fi loot shooter would be getting a “substantial” overhaul, one that would alter the game at its core. This won’t be a mere update or expansion, but a major project to address Anthem’s ongoing problems, which include a poor loot experience, lack of content, and weak end game.
“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,” Hudson said.
“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,” he added.
It’s amusing to hear Hudson openly admit that gameplay wasn’t a priority for BioWare during Anthem’s inception. That would explain the awful reaction to what was supposed to be EA’s counterpart to Destiny, which is faring much, much better.
The studio’s plan to reinvent Anthem will result in some losses, however. Seasons, for one, are being eliminated due to the change in focus.
“In the meantime, we will continue to run the current version of Anthem, but move away from full seasons as the team works towards the future of Anthem. We’ll 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.”
Hudson didn’t provide a time frame as to when Anthem 2.0 would launch, but for the franchise’s sake, the sooner the better.