With E3 just around the corner, we’ll have lots of news on new titles. But let’s take a moment to take a look at some old news Anthem. Anthem was announced last year during E3 as Bioware’s newest IP being published by EA. However, Bioware teased it as early as 2014. The multiplayer action RPG was slated to release this year.
A Talented Writer Writes Himself Out Of The Picture
That was until Drew Karpshyn left in March to focus on his own work, co-creating a sci-fi graphic novel. The game will now release March of next year, with a beta or early access before that. Drew had worked on many projects before this. He wrote for Wizards of the Coast and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. He also put work into Jade Empire, Baldur’s Gate, and Mass Effect. And we can only hope that the dialogue and story remained high quality even after his departure. With that in mind, Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah took on the role of executive producer for the game.
That Dragon Age Feel
The General Manager of Bioware, Casey Hudson states that it will feel “very distinctly Bioware”. Casey went on to say “we create worlds of adventure, conflict, and companionship that inspire you to become the hero of your story”.
He continues:
“It’s true -we’re trying something really different here. Anthem represents one way to deliver innovation and new experiences in the spirit of our mission. We also have teams envisioning future BioWare games, and they’re designing approaches that are different from Anthem–including one that’s very Dragon Age. As we try new things, I hope that you’ll come on the journey with us, and continue asking questions that will help shape Anthem into something we’ll all love to play.”
But Will It Be That Different From Destiny?
The game certainly looks closer to Destiny and other loot based online shooters than a story-driven RPG. Despite this, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson says that Anthem is “stunning and ambitious” and “something entirely new”. His praise for Anthem went on:
“Anthem is a fundamentally social experience, and we will open new ways for fans to join the community and play early, enabling us to shape and refine the game with their input and feedback. We’re deeply excited to launch this brand-new franchise, and equally excited to work with our players to make Anthem a game they can’t wait to play and share with their friends for years to come.”
And Will Another Appearance At E3 Help Or Hurt Anthem?
Clearly, that will depend on a number of things. But if Bioware can’t showcase a wealth of content with meaningful objectives, they’ll be shooting themselves in their foot. Bioware fans want to see how quest and missions lead to progression. They’ll need more than just loot and combat sequences to be sold on this title. But if Bioware can provide more than that remains to be seen.