So, apparently all the stories last week about how Anthem still hadn’t taken down its Christmas decorations struck a nerve, and we’ve got an update on the state of the game. This afternoon, BioWare’s Casey Hudson seems to have confirmed last year’s rumors that the game was getting some sort of major reboot, though he doesn’t quite call it Anthem 2.0 or Anthem Next as speculated.
“We recognize that there’s still more fundamental work to be done to bring out the full potential of the experience, and it will require a more substantial reinvention than an update or expansion,” Hudson writes. “Over the coming months we will be focusing on a longer-term redesign of the experience, specifically working to reinvent the core gameplay 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. And to do that properly we’ll be doing something we’d like to have done more of the first time around – giving a focused team the time to test and iterate, focusing on gameplay first.”
The downside is the current version of the game isn’t going to see much love, as it moves “away from full seasons,” though Hudson does promise “events, store refreshes, and revisiting past seasonal and cataclysm content” including anniversary events later in February. We don’t know when exactly we’ll see the new version, but it’s welcome at least to know BioWare hasn’t given up on it despite all the high-profile team departures.
