Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: anthem, bioware, Bioware Austin, Bioware Edmonton, EA, Electronic Arts, HRL

BioWare is Focusing on Anthem for a 2019 Release Window

BioWare's newest project Anthem was first revealed at E3 in 2017 as a new open-world multiplayer sci-fi shooter, and it appears the developer will be focusing the majority of their efforts over the next year and change to get it ready fro a release in 2019.

BioWare is putting resources from both its Edmonton and Austin studios into Anthem according to a report from Kotaku. Sources close to Anthem's development place its release date closer to early 2019, citing the "Fall 2018" release window as unrealistic. Pressure to launch before the end of EA's 2019 fiscal year makes a delay beyond March 2019 less likely, sources told Kotaku and that falls in line with what we've come to expect. March is the dumping ground for delayed games, BioWare's previous project Mass Effect: Andromeda included.

Over half a dozen people close to the project spoke to Kotaku about the pressure surrounding the game, which has allegedly been in development since 2012. According to Kotaku's sources, recent industry controversies — notably the backlash from Star Wars: Battlefront II's loot box progression system and Bungie's overhaul of Destiny 2 to fall in line with community feedback  — has placed pressure squarely on the Anthem team to produce something great.

Despite the team's anxieties, generated in part from BioWare's own controversies (mostly from Mass Effect: Andromeda) and the often toxic community backlash, there's something hopeful to the report from Kotaku as well. If BioWare manages to produce a sci-fi shooter/RPG hybrid that takes all the feedback from Battlefront II and Destiny 2 into account, it would make for a fantastic launch. It might even overcome the mess left by Mass Effect: Andromeda.

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