- BioWare is planning a major overhaul of Anthem.
- The core gameplay loop will be reinvented.
- The aim is to tap into the “full potential” of the game.
BioWare announced today that it is planning a substantial revamp of its maligned action-RPG, Anthem.
In a statement published today, the developer admitted that Anthem had fallen short of expectations. BioWare confessed that successive content updates had failed to respond to criticism from the player base and gaming community at large.
Over the last year, the team has worked hard to improve stability, performance and general quality of life while delivering three seasons of new content and features. We have also heard your feedback that Anthem needs a more satisfying loot experience, better long-term progression and a more fulfilling end game.
BioWare Plans to Reinvent Anthem’s Core Gameplay Loop
To tap into Anthem’s “full potential,” BioWare unveiled plans for a No Man’s Sky-style “longer-term redesign of the experience.”
The Hello Games space exploration title clawed its way back from a troubled launch through substantial expansions that fundamentally redesigned many aspects of the game.
BioWare says that the focus will be on reinventing the core gameplay loop:
Over the coming months, we will be focusing on a longer-term redesign of the experience, specifically working to reinvent the core game play loop with clear goals, motivating challenges and progression with meaningful rewards – while preserving the fun of flying and fighting in a vast science-fantasy setting.
The developer is enlisting a dedicated team to “test and iterate” this reinvention with a heavy focus on gameplay. While the team puts in the work, players can still jump into the existing version of Anthem, but BioWare is sidelining seasons, presumably to pool resources towards the revamp.
The statement stopped short of providing details about what shape this rejuvenation will take. Nor did it offer much in terms of a time frame other than the “coming months.”
About Those Christmas Decorations
In other Anthem news, the game hit the headlines last week when players discovered that Christmas-themed decorations still appeared in the game.
Many speculated that this was a grim sign that BioWare had abandoned the game. With today’s news, this doesn’t seem to be the case.
On the contrary, BioWare is doubling down.
Whether players are willing to give Anthem a second chance is another story.
This article was edited by Josiah Wilmoth.
