The official Twitter account of Anthem has been inactive for a month. Our author Schuhmann says: This does not paint a good picture. Nor does it speak well of “Games as a service.”
This is how I saw Anthem: Unlike others who heavily criticized Anthem from the start, I thought at the release in February and even after a month in March: Anthem is being criticized disproportionately harshly. In my view, Anthem did not deserve that.
The online RPG started with a solid core in my eyes: I found the gameplay and the world interesting and exciting. The campaign was solid.
The game entertained me well for 35 hours, but I wanted to wait with the endgame until BioWare had removed the biggest issues.
I believed that the initial problems of Anthem were solvable and was sure that the shooter would be much better 90 days after release than at launch.
After all, BioWare announced a detailed content plan to support the game with additional content in the coming months:
- the world should evolve
- group content should come
- and the Cataclysm, a major event, should be the highlight of Act 1
It was also stated early on that BioWare would address the problems in the game regarding loot and quality of life features with the highest priority.
I also see this as a strength of “Games as a service” games: They become significantly better after release. This is the inherent promise that comes free with every games-as-a-service.
I thought back then: Okay, Anthem had a rough start, but after 90 days, they would surely be out of the worst of it and present a clear plan for the future, just like other games.
Anthem – 90 days after release
This is what has happened since then: Since February, there have actually only been concerning developments:
- there was a major insider report about the game, after which it seemed that Anthem was created in just 18 months and finished with great difficulty
- also, development has mostly been taken away from the original team and transferred to another BioWare team in Austin
- furthermore, BioWare has postponed the content plans indefinitely to first fix the major issues with loot and other core aspects of the game
- and BioWare has almost completely stopped communication: The last Twitter message from Anthem was a month ago. There has been no new stream either. It was said they would reach out when they have more to share, but they apparently do not have more yet
This frustrates me right now: This silence makes Anthem and BioWare look worse with each passing day.
If BioWare presents a detailed content plan with clear timelines at launch, then as a player, you expect that most of this content is practically finished and only needs to be released gradually.
Other games like ESO or The Division 2 also didn’t wait until the game was actually released to start developing their “post-release” content but already had it ready in the drawer.
Back in 2014, a few weeks after release, the first raid went live in ESO – that was naturally finished by release and just needed to be unlocked.
In Destiny, we know that the Year 1 DLCs had been in development for a long time before Destiny was released. I also expect from BioWare that they have the content almost ready when they announce it for “coming in 2 months.”
This is the problem: It’s understandable that BioWare wants to work on the major problems of the game first instead of quickly releasing new content.
But leaving players without any timeframe and without delivering content is not okay.
A “Games as a service” title cannot just disappear after a month and leave players to deal with the problems alone, even if the first updates broke more than they fixed.
The current situation of Anthem is harming not only BioWare and Anthem itself but also the fundamental idea of “Games as a service”: Anthem is currently breaking the promise that a game is supported and provided with content after release. And not “sometime”, but rather promptly after release.
A content pause, in which the team creates new content, is completely okay and normal. But not immediately after release.
Anthem has given players barely any reason to log in again after the release month. One single new stronghold is far too little.
Especially that the main figures from BioWare seem to have stepped back from Anthem leaves a bitter aftertaste.
This is what I expect from Anthem: Anthem must now urgently present a clear plan with concrete timelines on how to continue developing the game.
Yes, there is again the risk of disappointing players if the timelines are not met – but that should have been considered before building the entire PR campaign around reassuring players how Anthem would be developed further.
Ideally and rightly, it would be from BioWare to clearly say: We will clean up the mess we have created and adjust our plans. The original team of Anthem continues to work on the game until it is out of the worst of it. Dragon Age 4 must wait for a while.
That the main figures of Anthem have so early withdrawn from development is a mistake that sends a disastrous signal in the current situation.
