For many years, when developers released a game and it wasn’t a hit, there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. Developers simply had to learn from the experience, lick their wounds, and move on to the next project. In the digital age, the opposite is often true. Developers can consider releasing many ways of patches and slowly make the game more up to players' standards. There’s some successful examples of that kind of strategy;No Man’s Skyhas reinvented itselfto much acclaim. However,Anthemhasn’t succeeded in this area. Although BioWare spent a long time trying to figure out a way to rebuild this game from the bottom up, it’s since decided to scrap plans to salvage it.
While it’s hard to abandon any project, BioWare wasn’t counting onAnthem’s success to stay afloat. It’s responsible for franchises likeMass EffectandDragon Agethat remain hugely popular. Fans are waiting eagerly to hear about next installments in these franchises, and BioWare seems determined to meet expectations. Although BioWare Austin’s executive producer Christian Dailey has confirmed thatAnthem NEXThas been abandoned, he hints at a renewed focus onMass EffectandDragon Age.That makes it sounds like BioWare already has plans to recoupAnthem’s losses, which should buoy BioWare fans.
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Playing to BioWare’s Strengths
BioWare has proven time and time again that it candeliver on theDragon Agefranchise. Its entries consistently rank in the 80s on Metacritic, showing BioWare’s consistency and the franchise’s ongoing popularity. There hasn’t been aDragon Agegame since 2014, but fans do know that BioWare is coming back toDragon Age,ever sinceDragon Age 4got announced in 2018. It sounds like resources initially dedicated towardAnthem NEXTwill be moved to work onDragon Ageinstead. That’s a good sign forDragon Agefans. BioWare is aware of its own achievements with this franchise. Putting more resources towards it and ensuring its success is a good way to bounce back fromAnthem’s disappointing reception.
AcknowledgingMass Effectshould be exciting for a lot of fans too.Mass Effect: Legendary Editionis only a few months away now, so any extra resources devoted toMass Effectnow might help the compilation of games sail smoothly toward success. However, Dailey’s post implies that BioWare will have a renewed focus onMass Effectin the long term. There’s no newMass Effectgames on the horizon, as far as fans are aware, but that might be changing soon. If BioWare is focusing on its established franchises, thenAnthem’s loss isMass Effect’s gain, much likeDragon Age.
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Learning From Anthem
It’s too bad thatAnthemdidn’t quite hit the mark. On the bright side, though, it sounds like BioWare istakingAnthem’s rough roadas a learning experience. The plan is apparently to let go ofAnthem’s flaws and accept the game as it is, rather than spending months or years trying to make it live up to initial expectations. There’s lots of things that BioWare can learn fromAnthemabout experimenting with new formulas and how a confusing development can impact a game. BioWare is surely taking the time to focus on what’s important and figure out how it can handle its other projects with care.
Anthemfans can’t be blamed for being disappointed that the game isn’t getting as much support as blamed. Still, it’s ultimately a good thing that BioWare has apparently figured out what’s important to it in the wake of this new IP. It wants to ensure that the franchises that have carried it so far –Dragon AgeandMass Effect– continue to flourish and grow.Expectations are high forDragon Age 4,since its the first return to the franchise in so many years. BioWare is wise to ensure that that game does well, rather than spreading itself thin and fussing overAnthem.
Anthem2.0has been cancelled.
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