Players demand that the developers of Anthem “make a statement” by not logging in anymore. Our author Schuhmann says: That makes sense, but it’s the wrong statement.
What kind of boycott is this? Currently, many sites are reporting on a call for a boycott of Anthem.
Players are supposed to not log in for a week until March 15, to signal to the developers that they should adjust the loot rates again. At the core of the protest is a post on the English-speaking community platform Reddit.
On Reddit, they proudly list how many sites have already reported on the protest, from the German GameStar to Russian sites, including Kotaku and Polygon.
What is behind the call for a boycott? Players feel that BioWare is currently too stingy with the loot and want the drop rates back that were temporarily available due to a bug.
They want a “loot rain.” As many masterwork and legendary items should drop as possible so that players can then filter out the best rolls to refine their builds.
The logic is: “Even if I’m fully legendary equipped, I still don’t have the best items and farm for the God Rolls continuously.”
By purposely staying away, players want to send a message and force the developers to yield and adjust the drop rates.
The idea is: “If the game is completely dead for a week, then the investors and the developers themselves will see it and will respond.”
That’s why I think it’s not a good idea: Basically, I have sympathy for people who want more loot. I want that too – always.
But I find this culture of coercion, which is forming on Reddit, troubling. It already bothered me when Reddit was deliberately used to have a annoying developer fired from Guild Wars 2 – and it bothers me now.
The developers have stated that loot is a sensitive issue. BioWare itself is dissatisfied with the loot in Anthem, but wants to be cautious in adjusting it.
They speak of “significant changes in the coming months.” Apparently, that’s too slow for the players.
What is the idea behind contradicting the developers and saying: Do it now?
It is a bit like telling the surgeon who is supposed to operate on your heart but wants to wait for the results: “No, just cut! Otherwise, it’s your turn.”
BioWare has shown in recent days that they are willing to work overtime to solve the problems. That’s why the important patch was released on Saturday and not just on Tuesday.
Why do they want to force them to do something that the developers themselves apparently believe is not a good idea?
- Such actions ultimately cast a bad light on the game
- The lines between developers and players harden
- It puts even more pressure on the kettle
Under such pressure, hardly good things can arise. At best, a “short-term solution” will come out of this, which might cause lasting damage.
If everyone runs around completely legendary – What would be the impact on the game? Would it really be possible to keep that “healthy” over months and years?
It would encourage people to “play through Anthem and finish it” so they can move on to the next game. Is that really the best decision BioWare can make right now?
Example: The Division 1 and ESO
What would be the better solution? One can and should assume that the developers at BioWare have just as much interest in making Anthem the best possible game as the now angry fans. But this “coercive mentality” cannot be a solution.
Anthem is not the first game that has had major issues at launch. Virtually every major online game goes through a challenging phase at release. The only thing that really helps is to stay calm, take a close look at the feedback, and then respond to it in peace.
That takes time and is annoying, but that is the only reasonable solution.
All games that have managed to turn around in the long term sought dialogue with the fans and then improved the game gradually over months:
- In The Elder Scrolls Online, they invited enthusiastic players to a summit
- In The Division, a “task force” of experts was called in
- In Final Fantasy XIV, the game was even completely renewed from the ground up
All these processes took months and were based on good communication with the fans. Such “rush” boycott actions may be a vent for understandable frustration, but they send the wrong signal here.
More than pressure and boycotts, Anthem currently needs constructive feedback and time.
Anyone so furious with BioWare that they want to “send a signal to the investors” should perhaps just play something else until their heated mood has cooled down.
