EA officially announced that
Anthem won't be released in 2018 earlier this year, as it is due out by March 2019 instead. After years of troubled production on
Mass Effect: Andromeda and rebooting the next chapter of the
Dragon Age series, it's clear that BioWare needs to figure out how to not let players down again to not join the studios killed by EA such as Pandemic, Visceral, and Bullfrog.
"
Videogames are a unique medium. The only thing that stays the same is that they are constantly evolving. Many of the things we love about games now were not possible a few years ago," BioWare's general manager Casey Hudson explained in his second "
studio update." Hudson returned to the company last July after the release of
Andromeda and unexpected departure of Aaryn Flynn.
"
I talked last time about Anthem being “a story you can experience with friends.” There were, understandably, some questions and concerns about story in multiplayer. Specifically, “what if I don’t want to play with randoms?” “What if I don’t have friends that I play games with?” And, “I like to be the one making choices in my story—if it’s multiplayer, won’t the story get watered down?” HIs answer is pretty simple, as every player will control their own story, a story that may be set in an ever-changing multiplayer world, but nothing stops you from playing through the story with only your friends, or even on your own. It's great news for the fans of solo campaigns.
When it comes to
Dragon Age 4, it's apparently code-named "
Joplin" and was rebooted last year, but will stay "
story and character focused." According to Hudson, BioWare is designing approaches that are different from
Anthem, including one "
that’s very Dragon Age", so maybe the next chapter of the
Dragon saga won't feature loot boxes and additional microtransations for a change. Just prior to E3 2018, EA will host its annual EA Play event. BioWare will share "
lots more details" on
Anthem there.
In this shared-world action-RPG, you and your friends are Freelancers—the bold few with the courage to leave civilization behind, explore a landscape of primeval beauty, and confront the dangers you find. Up to four players band together to take on whatever perils you discover as a heroic team. As your friends support you in your journey, so do your victories and rewards benefit your friends. Wield an arsenal of Javelin exosuits, each equipped with unique weapons and abilities. Customize them with gear you earn and craft, then use them to fly, leap, and climb through a contiguous open world.
Anthem is due out by March 2019.