Ben Irving, the Lead Producer on Anthem, announced on twitter 2 days ago that he was leaving Bioware after 8 years working at the studio. What does this mean for the future of Anthem?
It is no secret in the gaming community that Anthem was a disappointment for many fans of the studio, even more so after their previous release, Mass Effect Andromeda was divisive. It released back in February to lacklustre critical reception and huge backlash from gamers. While it boasted a promising setting, with fun combat and engaging moment-to-moment gameplay, it suffered from a severe lack of content, particularly in its endgame. Read my review here.
He mentions how grateful he is for the time at the studio, working not just on Anthem, but on the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. He continues, mentioning that he believes Anthem has a bright future with the team currently working on it. However, for many people, there is little interest in the game going forward. With the continued dwindling player base, even should Bioware add significant new content in the future, the likely reality is that there would only be a few fans that wouldn’t have moved on by then. What’s more concerning, is that the big Cataclysm event heavily advertise prior to release, only recently was added. The main problem is that it it is a timed event only and it fails to add anything truly interesting or substantial.
He finishes by continuing to thank others that remain working on the game now that he’s gone. Now that yet another person leaves the studio, it will be extremely difficult for Anthem to make a resurgence in the future. We can only hope that the next Dragon Age is able to be the game that brings Bioware back into gamers good books. I wish all the best to Ben Irving and his future endeavours.
What are your thoughts on Ben Irving leaving Bioware? Let me know in the comments below. For all things gaming, stay tuned to Honest Gamer.
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It’s a difficult one. In any game as service title such as this, at some point you face a critical juncture where you cut support and go for something new as a studio. I presume the remaining user base are the hardcore players who are generating ‘some’ residual income for the studio and by default EA. If you admit defeat and refocus you loose that revenue…persevere and turn it around you could win some back….
I don’t see the game last much beyond next year
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True, it’s a shame the game ended up like it did, since there was so much promise. It will take a lot to turn around the game’s shaky reputation. At this point most people are probably just waiting until the next Dragon Age.
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With mixed feelings. Yes for DA, no for DA (Anthem edition) 🤷🏼♂️
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That’s what does worry me, I just hope they realise that gamers want a proper Bioware RPG and not what Anthem was. Only time will tell.
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Was a big fan of Inquisition and put a lot of hours into it along with the other ME and DA games before. Anthem seemed like such a snub towards their traditional user base and push for those golden online dollars.
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