The critical and commercial failure of Mass Effect: Andromeda has truly changed the old status quo for BioWare. After years of successful development of series such as Dragon Age, Neverwinter Nights, and Baldur's Gate, the studio faces a new threat - losing the leader of the RPG genre reputation. The fact that Electronic Arts shut Visceral Games down last year probably doesn't help.
Electronic Arts has officially announced that Anthem won't be released in 2018 as it will launch in 2019 instead. After years of troubled production on Mass Effect: Andromeda and the recent reboot of the next chapter of the Dragon Age series, it's clear that BioWare needs to figure out how to not let players down again and not suffer the same fate as studios killed by EA like Pandemic, Visceral, and Bullfrog.
From EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen's perspective, “It’s not a delay,”. Apparently, the company wants to give the developer time to polish their first IP in years and it's just “the act of postponing, hindering, or causing something to occur more slowly than normal.” Every single BioWare's unit is working on Anthem, one of the most important projects in the studio's history.
It looks like Anthem's marketing campaign slowly rolls out as the game's Twitter posted today an enigmatic "Decoding...," similar to CD Projekt Red's decision to revive Cyberpunk 2077's social media activity with a single "Beep." The company has also updated Anthem's banner image on Twitter, which features now a wonderful "triangular" artwork. EA's E3 conference will take place on Saturday, June 9.
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.