Anthem’s official servers shut down this week, signaling the end of BioWare’s ambitious but troubled online shooter. The game never quite lived up to its potential, with a sci-fi world and flight mechanics that hinted at something special, yet ultimately choked by its always-online loot shooter design. For those who dreamed of suiting up in mech armor and soaring through its open skies, the shutdown is a disappointment. At the same time, anyone who endured being called a freelancer in the game’s community bulletins might not shed many tears. As someone who actually was a freelancer when Anthem launched in 2019, I can say it lacked a certain charm—the title felt more like a reminder of economic uncertainty than a heroic mantle. By comparison, Destiny’s guardians at least sound romantic.
Still, just because the servers are offline doesn’t mean Anthem is dead forever. Mark Darrah, the former executive producer behind Anthem and a key figure in Dragon Age and Mass Effect, recently shared an intriguing idea for the game’s future. He’s pitched reviving Anthem as a traditional single-player BioWare RPG, with a relatively modest budget of around $10 million. This approach would strip away the always-online layers and focus on what BioWare does best: deep narrative and character-driven gameplay. It’s a far cry from the live-service model that ultimately weighed Anthem down, but it’s a reminder that good ideas can sometimes find new life in a different form. Whether EA and BioWare will actually take this path remains to be seen, but it’s refreshing to hear one of the game’s creators envision a second chance that plays to their strengths.
Source: rockpapershotgun.com
