Anthem is considered one of the biggest flops in video game history. Chief developer Mark Darrah now reveals why there was even major trouble with the design of the Javelin.
What does Mark Darrah reveal? In the first part of his video series about the exciting origin story of Anthem, the BioWare veteran talks about the early years of development, up to the point when he took the helm of the project in 2017.
When Mark Darrah joined Anthem, he looked at a game that, despite years of development, still lacked an identity, and at a team that had been stuck without clear direction, a shared vision, and leadership for years.
That was exactly what Darrah intended to change. However, he struggled from the beginning with the promises that his predecessor Casey Hudson and others had made to the leadership of Electronic Arts in previous years. An anecdote from Darrah makes this particularly clear.
The Javelins from Anthem in action:
The Dispute Over the Number of Javelins
What is the anecdote about? In a very early design document, Darrah noted that Anthem was meant to have 6 different Javelin suits at launch. Where does this number come from? The emotional response of the former BioWare lead: “Someone just pulled that out of their rear.”
Perhaps someone simply thought that there would be light, medium, and heavy Javelins, and that they could offer 2 variations of each armor type. Before this plan was checked for feasibility, it was sent to EA early in 2017.
Only after that did the team realize that they could not implement 6 Javelins for 2 reasons:
- They found no way to give the 6 Javelins unique identities that would sufficiently distinguish them from one another.
- The team did not have the capacity to develop 6 archetypes that would provide different player experiences.
So the team had to go back to EA and explain that they could only deliver 4 Javelins by launch. And although the original number was chosen very arbitrarily, it apparently did not go down well with the decision-makers. On the contrary, it was perceived internally as a major failure, increasing the pressure on the team.
Looking back, Darrah is sure that this led to the subsequent upheavals for the team that ultimately made him the project leader. He struggled with this in his new role for some time.
The solution of the experienced developer to smooth things over: He explained that each of the 4 Javelins would receive 2 subclasses, thus exceeding the original promise of 6 different suits by 2. His advice is still: Never share specific numbers outside the team until they are 100 percent set in stone.
The following 4 Javelins made it into the finished game:
- the Ranger, a precise and versatile all-round champion
- the Colossus, a massive war machine with high defense, a deployable shield, and a siege cannon
- the Storm, which uses seal technology to wipe out its enemies
- the Interceptor, who plunges into close combat with its powerful blades
How and when will it continue? In the second part of the video series, it will be about the time when Mark Darrah, as the lead, drove the development of Anthem until the launch on February 22, 2019. However, the exact time when the video goes live is still unknown.
Since we have some Anthem enthusiasts in the editorial team, you can expect that we’ll keep you updated on every new anecdote about it on MeinMMO. You won’t be able to play this action MMO much longer, so if you want to indulge in nostalgia, you need to hurry: EA wanted to create the perfect MMO with Anthem, but instead of salvation, it is now facing the death blow.
