Anthem has officially shut down after seven years. It was one of 2019’s biggest blunders and an awardee for the quickest triple-A game to get the axe, next only to Concord.
Despite all the hubbub from critics and other gamers, Anthem had something to prove. It was an ambitious action game that never fully reached its potential, with the internet ultimately becoming its biggest enemy. From targeted harassment of its developers to costing BioWare nearly a decade’s worth of goodwill, Anthem faced a perfect storm of problems that eventually culminated in its shutdown.
Why the Internet Overreacted to BioWare’s Anthem
The internet overreacted too quickly, overshadowing the game’s actual strengths. From day one, critics and players alike were quick to dismiss Anthem, calling it an “incomplete mess.” While that statement is largely true, the game struggled to bounce back from the wave of negativity that surrounded it.
Fast forward a few years, and players began discovering Anthem’s untapped potential. There’s much to appreciate from its gameplay, especially with its seamless flying across a dynamic world. There was a sense of satisfaction and freedom with its fluid movement system, one that we may never see again in a long time.
There were clear mistakes with Anthem’s launch, and we’re not gonna pretend it was a perfect product. It was a game that clearly lacked content. From its empty endgame to its abysmal lack of story (for a BioWare game), it was disastrous at best.
But that doesn’t mean the head honchos over BioWare should immediately pull the plug and halt its support.
BioWare’s Anthem was its first foray into live-service territory, which was pretty evident given the mismanagement and handling of its product. Once branded as the “Destiny killer,” it flew too close to the sun, and it never had fully functioning wings in the first place due to its lack of vision. With Bungie’s Destiny 2 and Digital Extremes’ Warframe gaining popularity over time, Anthem had tough competition from day one.
Could Anthem NEXT Redeem the Game?
The Anthem rework or Anthem NEXT could’ve been the game’s saving grace if more people had poured their support into BioWare. It had the proper tools to elevate the game to its full potential, especially since BioWare already understood where it all went wrong during its disastrous launch.
NEXT was a focused commitment to remedy the game’s lingering issues. Improving endgame progression, adding a story mode, and overhauling combat were among the things promised. For the first time since Anhem’s 7-year development, it finally had a clear vision. BioWare devs went on to share progress about Anthem NEXT, but it was eventually cut short.
It was too little too late. the playerbase was already too skeptical about its chance at redemption. BioWare execs decided that they needed to completely axe the project. It was never proven that player sentiment was the leading cause of its shutdown, but the safest bet was that halting Anthem’s support was essential to recoup its losses, and Anthem NEXT was burning the company too much money for something that they never knew would succeed.
Imagining What Anthem Could Have Become
Anthem could have been the next Cyberpunk 2077 or No Man’s Sky. Odd comparisons, sure, but they were games that clearly drew a lot of flak at launch for their barebones content and failed promises. What set them apart was their commitment to redemption by listening to their playerbase and eventually delivering the content they had long promised. It took some time, but they eventually got there.
Anthem didn’t have that opportunity. It became the internet’s plaything for a time, spawning numerous memes and discussions about its launch state. It’s not as harrowing as Concord or Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, but the collective hate was too palpable, and there’s no doubt some of the devs behind it faced mental health issues.
Anthem really is such a tragedy. It came at such a terrible time and in such a terrible state and it could’ve been something great.
Rest in peace, BioWare’s Anthem. In another life, maybe you were the best-selling live-service game out there with cool third-party crossovers and neon-soaked skins. Sadly, now that the game is finally shutting down for good, there’s no other way to know for sure what Anthem could have been if it had just stayed afloat.
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