Anthem
News, coverage and analysis tracking Anthem across the outlets.
Latest coverage
EA’s New Mass Effect Game Is Being Canceled for a Heartbreaking Reason
Electronic Arts is shutting down its BioWare studio and cutting 400 jobs as part of a cost-reduction strategy, leading to the cancellation of the next Mass Effect game. This move, affecting 50 BioWare employees, comes after previous underperforming titles like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, and a recent sales shortfall for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. EA is also canceling The Sims' Project Lotus, shifting focus to Project Evergreen, while continuing support for franchises like Apex Legends and Battlefield.
EA closes Mass Effect, Dragon Age creator BioWare after 30 years of game development
Electronic Arts has announced the closure of BioWare, the acclaimed studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, after 30 years of development. The closure is accompanied by significant layoffs across EA, including 50 employees at BioWare working on a new Mass Effect title, which has now been canceled. This decision follows a recent acquisition of EA and a strategic review of the company's portfolio.
BioWare is closing down and Mass Effect 5 is cancelled, months after Saudi Arabia's $55bn EA buyout
BioWare, the acclaimed RPG developer behind titles like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, is closing down, with its in-development Mass Effect 5 project also cancelled. This surprising decision comes just months after its parent company, Electronic Arts, was acquired by a consortium including Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. The closure marks the end of an era for the studio, which has been a prominent name in the industry for over three decades.
CD Projekt is in "a really dangerous place", says Anthem's executive producer, pointing to ballooning costs of making games of that scope and quality
Former Bioware executive producer Mark Darrah warns that the triple-A game industry is in a 'dangerous place' due to ballooning development costs and hyper-specialization, predicting a market bifurcation. He highlights how massive teams and extended development cycles, exemplified by Grand Theft Auto VI's delays, increase financial risks, potentially leading to more studios adopting smaller, focused models with significant outsourcing, like Sandfall Interactive.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed because EA demanded yearly releases from BioWare and pushed senior devs to Anthem, says…
Former BioWare lead Mark Darrah attributes the commercial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard to Electronic Arts' demand for yearly releases and the strain placed on senior developers by projects like Anthem. Darrah explained that constant deadline shifts and a lack of long-term project oversight prevented the team from adequately developing the game, leading to its muted reception.
Mark Darrah, co-director of Dragon Age: Origins, has played Riven for 3 minutes and Factorio for 832 hours: 'If you want to know what kind of programmer someone would be, have them play Factorio'
Former BioWare director Mark Darrah discusses his gaming habits, highlighting an 832-hour playtime in Factorio and a brief three-minute session with Riven. Darrah, known for his work on the Dragon Age series, shares insights into game development, programming, and design, emphasizing the lessons learned from playing games like Factorio and his past projects.
Ex-BioWare designer says doom and gloom about the next Mass Effect is overstated: 'I think that they can do…
Former BioWare designer Armando Troisi believes skepticism surrounding the next Mass Effect game is overstated, asserting that the studio excels at single-player, narrative-driven RPGs when left to their own devices. He suggests that the studio needs to return to its core formula, free from the pressures of live-service development and external stakeholders, to recapture its former glory.
Mass Effect 5 will be great as long as executives "get out of the way," says former designer: "We're…
Former BioWare designer Armando Troisi believes Mass Effect 5 can be a great game if executives allow developers creative freedom. However, concerns are high due to Electronic Arts' recent executive decisions, including the handling of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Anthem, and a significant buyout involving Saudi Arabia and private equity.
'That's how you actually end a live service' — this developer just shut down a free-to-play game by releasing an offline version with no microtransactions for fans to keep playing
Developer Grasshopper Manufacture has released an offline, single-player version of its live service game Let it Die for $19.99, removing all microtransactions. This move allows players to continue enjoying the game after its servers shut down, a decision praised by fans as a positive example of how to handle the end of a live service title.
The Soapbox: Online games just can’t bet on success
This opinion piece argues that developers of live service games should stop betting on guaranteed success and instead focus on delivering complete, polished experiences at launch. The author uses examples like Iron Harvest, Anthem, and Wolcen to illustrate the pitfalls of unfinished stories and overly ambitious projects. The article suggests that a more realistic approach, prioritizing a solid core experience with plans for future expansion, is more sustainable and beneficial for both developers and players, citing Valheim as a positive example.
Warframe and Anthem leads on the challenges of sustaining online games that go dark
Developers from Warframe and Anthem discuss the complexities of sustaining online games, particularly concerning server shutdowns and the challenges of making them playable post-closure. They highlight the significant technical, security, and financial hurdles corporations face in preserving these titles, contrasting with the demands of movements like 'Stop Killing Games'.
Game History and Preservation
Developers from Anthem, SpaceCraft, and Warframe discuss the significant challenges of reverse engineering always-online games for preservation purposes. The 'Stop Killing Games' campaign highlights these efforts.
What if Stop Killing Games win? Anthem, SpaceCraft and Warframe devs on the "massive undertaking" of reverse engineering an always-online game
The article discusses the challenges and importance of game preservation for live service titles, using Warframe as a primary example. It explores the difficulties of reverse engineering always-online games and the efforts of groups like Stop Killing Games to advocate for offline modes and legal requirements for game longevity. Experts like Scott McGregor and Mark Darrah weigh in on the technical and financial hurdles, while the piece also touches on the potential impact of such regulations on the future development of live service games.
Dragon Age is "unlikely" to continue at EA, says former lead David Gaider, but if you gave him the keys to the RPG he'd take it somewhere "dark" and "do things that will make people upset"
Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes the series is unlikely to continue under Electronic Arts due to the company's historical dissatisfaction with its sales performance, despite generally positive reviews for recent titles like The Veilguard. Gaider expressed that if given the opportunity, he would steer the franchise in a darker, more provocative direction, focusing on the core appeal that resonated with fans.
Dragon Age creator reckons the series is dead following Veilguard flop, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have another go at it if given the chance
Dragon Age creator David Gaider believes the series is likely dead following the poor commercial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite no longer being at BioWare, Gaider expressed interest in returning to the franchise to take it in a darker, more provocative direction if given the chance. He also commented on BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5 and the challenges facing game development under Electronic Arts.
Leadership lessons from Mark Darrah’s days at BioWare
Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah shares leadership and game development lessons on his YouTube channel, drawing from his experience, particularly with the troubled production of Anthem. He discusses communication breakdowns and the importance of a unified vision in game development.
PlayStation – and The Gaming Industry – Just Doesn’t Learn With Live-Service
Despite numerous high-profile failures and significant layoffs within studios like Bungie and Quantic Dream, Sony Interactive Entertainment, led by Hideaki Nishino, remains committed to pursuing live-service games. This strategy is questioned due to past setbacks and the company's historical strength in single-player titles, with concerns that chasing trends is leading to wasted investment and development resources.
Stop Killing Games suffers setback following European Parliamentary hearing - but all is not lost
The European Commission has decided not to propose new legislation for online game preservation, stating that existing EU copyright and consumer laws provide sufficient safeguards. This ruling is a setback for the Stop Killing Games movement, which had petitioned for a legal framework to prevent games from becoming unplayable when online services are shut down. While the Commission will encourage an industry code of conduct and greater transparency, it will not mandate game companies to keep titles playable indefinitely.
"The live-action Smurfs movie paid for itself entirely through product placement" - Former Dragon Age boss suggests games can be funded another way
Former Dragon Age and Anthem executive producer Mark Darrah suggests that live service games could be funded through product placement, a model more common in film. He argues this approach could be more sustainable than current monetization strategies and prevent the overemphasis on certain genres. Darrah highlights the Smurfs movie as an example of a project fully funded by product placement.
'People want MMOs', says veteran designer Jack Emmert, it's the publishers chasing WoW-level scope that…
Veteran designer Jack Emmert believes players still want MMOs, citing the sales of New World as proof, but argues that publishers' pursuit of WoW-level scope and budget leads to failure. He suggests that a more focused vision and reasonable expectations are key to creating successful new MMOs, rather than trying to replicate existing giants.
