Anthem will be an online multiplayer shooter, while BioWare is known as an RPG studio with strong stories. This shift seems strange to some fans and speculation about the studio’s motivation has arisen: even conspiracy theories.
What are the conspiracy theories? Fans accuse BioWare of being influenced by Electronic Arts. EA is said to have pressured the studio BioWare to take a different path with Anthem than what is typical for the studio. BioWare was purchased by EA in 2007.
Anthem will be different: Anthem will be a “games-as-a-service” title that will be continuously developed and supplied with new content. The game will be a cooperative multiplayer shooter where players are always online. Also, the previously shown story trailer of Anthem is quite action-packed.
This is what the studio is known for: BioWare is known for RPG games that possess a dense and well-thought-out story. Players make important decisions that influence the course of the story. A dialogue choice wheel with multiple responses and sexual romances are typical elements. At least for the release of Anthem, no romances are planned, but they could potentially make their way into the game later.
BioWare has always retained control over its games
BioWare has often taken risks and tried new things: In response to fans’ allegations, a former employee of BioWare has now spoken out. James Ohlen worked as the lead writer on Anthem and left BioWare on June 22. Ohlen says that the fans’ theories are simply untrue. It is nothing new for BioWare to take new paths.
In his opinion, BioWare has only been able to survive for as long as it has because the studio is really good at taking risks and trying new things. Ohlen refers to games like Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: The Old Republic, both of which were something new for BioWare when they were released.
Ohlen noted: Just because Anthem is a multiplayer online game, it does not mean that the studio would suddenly stop producing “classic” BioWare games.
Taking a different path with Anthem came from BioWare itself and the team: For BioWare, according to Ohlen, it would have been an opportunity to create something different than what is typical for the studio. Even though there are a lot of conspiracy theories regarding EA, Ohlen can assure that BioWare always has control over how they design games.
BioWare has undergone internal changes and also evolved
BioWare’s corporate culture has also undergone a change: Ohlen noted that a lot has changed internally at BioWare in recent years. Many older employees have left the studio, including the founders Ray Muzayka and Greg Zeschuk. Many new ones have come in, and the team has grown. The new composition of a team can also have an impact on the product.
BioWare had to evolve because the production of games is becoming increasingly expensive: The costs of game production are continually rising, which is also due to games becoming larger. This also means larger teams. For this reason, BioWare had to change to meet today’s standards and requirements.
