The online RPG Anthem has reached a status where fans are now speculating whether EA should offer it for free. The Free2Play rumors come from a small blog and are being discussed. We take a closer look at this.
Where does the information come from? The information has been circulating for about a week and comes from the site “mmogfails“, a blog. It states that the information was obtained from a source within EA. The author of the blog does not provide further details.
The blog features only a few articles; in 2018, there was only one entry.
The author of the blog says he has received angry comments up to death threats for the news, even though he does not earn any money from the blog and only wants to highlight the difficulties the gaming industry faces, especially regarding MMOs.
Therefore, the blogger writes about what he hears from the gaming industry and throws in a few sarcastic remarks.
“Free2Play” transition for Anthem possible if hype fails to materialize
This is allegedly what the source at EA says: From the source at EA, there were not only news about the Free2Play transition, but also an analysis of the general situation at BioWare and EA.
- BioWare did not expect the heavy criticism and believes that the poor mood of players is now causing Anthem to no longer sell well
- However, Anthem has sold well overall, they have sold 3.7 million units
- At BioWare, they are grumpy with EA because they told people that the game could still be patched as a Games-as-a-Service
- EA continues to support the game because it fills a “gaping hole in the offering”
- EA plans to bring the game into their subscription service EA Access – either before the service starts for PS4 or shortly thereafter
- If that does not work and brings too little boost, they are considering a switch to a Free2Play model. It is said: “A Free2Play transition is definitely still on the table,” meaning it is being discussed.
- BioWare is currently working feverishly on comfort improvements and new content. However, that will take some time.
- Next, a stat screen is to come that tells players at a glance what stats their Javelin has
Secret info or good guess?
Is there any truth to it? It is hard to say whether this information truly comes from an insider source at BioWare or if it is just a good guess:
- The general assessment of the situation, that Anthem initially sold well but not anymore – is quite plausible. This aligns with the information we have from market research institutions.
- That EA is sticking with the game and continues to support it because it fills a gap is absolutely credible. This type of game (Destiny, Division, GTA 5 Online) has previously raked in a lot of money – and EA has nothing else there.
- That Anthem is already coming to EA Access – alongside games from 2018 such as Battlefield 5 and A Way Out – is a bit early; perhaps they should take more time. Normally, games appear in EA Access only after 12 months, and Battlefield 5 would actually be too soon.
- A Free2Play transition, if the hype fails to materialize, as a last resort, is the least likely alternative mentioned in the blog post – it would definitely be too early and would likely cause more harm than good right now.
What would a Free2Play transition bring for Anthem? Ultimately, a Free2Play transition would likely make people angrier who have paid good money for the game. They would feel cheated for their money.
Furthermore, it is unclear how Anthem would be financed in the long term without paid content updates. In that case, microtransactions would have to become significantly stronger.
If Anthem really switches to Free2Play, it will probably be at the end of a longer process, after the game has been overhauled – one should not expect the transition to happen too soon.
Perhaps not until spring 2020 – if they really take this path. BioWare had good experiences with the Free2Play transition for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but that was a long time ago. It is unclear how a Free2Play transition could help Anthem at the moment.
