Earlier today, Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier posted an in-depth, investigative report
documenting the behind-the-scenes chaos surrounding the development of
Anthem. BioWare's struggles in their first attempt at an online multiplayer looter-shooter have been well-documented since
Anthem's launch in February, but the report paints a shocking picture of just how bad it was working on the game.
Schreier was completely transparent in how he obtained his information; he spoke with 19 people "who either worked on the game or adjacent to it (all of whom were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about Anthem’s development)." He noted that EA and BioWare declined to comment on the story, despite being made aware he was writing it ahead of time. They also declined to participate in any interviews for the story itself.
However, BioWare and EA were made aware of the piece. Schreier confirmed that he sent over a bullet-pointed summary of what in the piece. Without having read the full piece prior to it going live, it appears EA and BioWare have drafted up a response to the article, explaining why they refused to comment on it.
"First and foremost, we wholeheartedly stand behind every current and former member of our team that worked on the game, including leadership. It takes a massive amount of effort, energy and dedication to make any game, and making Anthem would not have been possible without every single one of their efforts. We chose not to comment or participate in this story because we felt there was an unfair focus on specific team members and leaders, who did their absolute best to bring this totally new idea to fans. We didn’t want to be part of something that was attempting to bring them down as individuals. We respect them all, and we built this game as a team."
BioWare went on to say they've put "great emphasis" on workplace culture int heir studios, including the "health and well-being" of the team members. The studio also said they've taken steps to build new leadership with an emphasis on better organization and planning to avoid "crunch time," although the developer claims that crunch time was "not a major topic of feedback" in internal postmortems. BioWare acknowledged that making games is hard work, adding that they do try and keep it "healthy and stress-free." While it's entirely possible (and probably likely) that
Anthem's development cycle was a stressful, chaotic mess for all involved, it at least appears that BioWare and EA have learned from it and are actively focused on improving work conditions. As for their declining to comment within Kotaku's article itself, they claim to not see the "value in tearing down one another" believe it does little to make the industry a better place. That said, it can be argued that Jason Schreier shedding light on this problem could spark some much-needed change in the game development industry.
"As a studio and a team, we accept all criticisms that will come our way for the games we make, especially from our players. The creative process is often difficult. The struggles and challenges of making video games are very real. But the reward of putting something we created into the hands of our players is amazing. People in this industry put so much passion and energy into making something fun. We don’t see the value in tearing down one another, or one another’s work. We don’t believe articles that do that are making our industry and craft better."
BioWare ended their post with a glimmer of hope for fans, assuring that their full focus is on
"continuing to make Anthem everything it can be for our community."
Unleash your power as you suit up in one of four javelins and take on a world full of danger. Team up with friends to overcome the toughest challenges you can find.
Anthem is now available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.