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EA cancels 'Anthem Next'
'Game development is hard,' executive producer Christian Dailey wrote.
Bioware says 'Anthem' redesign will be a 'longer process'
Bioware is updating players on where the 'Anthem' redesign is, and what's next for the troubled AAA game.
BioWare book will chronicle 25 years of games
Did you practically grow up with BioWare games? If so, there will soon be a book to help you reminisce. The studio is preparing BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development, a retrospective book that will discuss "key moments" in the company's history while showing previously unseen artwork and photos. You can also expect tidbits regarding "secret, cancelled" game projects. This might shed light on how Mass Effect characters came to be, or help you wax nostalgic about playing the original Baldur's Gate or MDK titles ("good gravy, that's Edmonton!").
'Anthem' is about to change completely
"Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we miss." That's how BioWare boss Casey Hudson closes out today's blog post about Anthem, the sci-fi loot shooter the studio launched in February 2019. It was poised to compete with the Destiny franchise, but it's been unable to find a significant audience due to widespread gameplay, technical and progression issues. With Anthem, BioWare clearly missed the mark -- and that's why Hudson's team is going to redesign the game entirely.
Anthem's winter update, 'Icetide' is here
As EA and Bioware reportedly work out a new approach for Anthem, the game is trudging forward with the promised "seasonal" updates. After the "season of skulls" wrapped up in November, a new "Icetide" event has blanketed its world in snow and frost, while also mixing up the enemies and inventory that are available. Following its lore, the "Shaper" devices that create Anthem's world are responsible for the localized ice storms. As far as gameplay, each week it's rolling out a new seasonal stronghold for players to team up and take on complete with leaderboards. There are also time trials, new collectibles and more. EA said it would increase its focus on "live services," and before Anthem launched, developers talked about how they would continue to update it over time. While the launch of the game turned out to be a disappointment, this is at least a tiny step in that direction, and perhaps a treat for players who picked it up via EA Access or Black Friday sales.
BioWare may revamp 'Anthem' in a bid to save it
There's no question that BioWare has struggled with Anthem between bugs and basic mechanics, and has made significant gameplay changes in a bid to keep its shared world shooter alive. However, the developer might soon resort to more drastic measures. Kotaku sources say BioWare and EA are readying a revamp of the Destiny-like game nicknamed "Anthem 2.0" or "Anthem Next." The rethink will "drastically" change basics like mission design, looting and even the world itself. The team spent a few months simply "tearing [Anthem] down" and spent more months rebuilding the title, one tipster said.
'Apex' crosses 70 million players as EA focuses on 'live services'
Other than the news that NBA Live will take the 19/20 season off, EA's quarterly earnings call reported revenue is up from last year, thanks largely to the games it's published as "live services." Those are the ones where it's continually rolling out updates to keep people playing longer, and paying for additional cosmetic content or expansions. While that includes the disappointment that was Anthem -- only mentioned once in prepared remarks (PDF) -- the company has found success with hits like Apex Legends, which announced it now has over 70 million players, as well as Ultimate Team features on its Madden, FIFA and NHL games.
'Anthem' gives its Cataclysm in-game event a second try
If you've stuck with Anthem through its many challenges -- and there have been a lot -- then congratulations, you're being rewarded with the return of the Cataclysm, and updates for the Season of Skulls. According to the latest patch notes, this will include new freeplay events, new data archives, a 250 percent increased chance to obtain a legendary item from a war chest and the availability of Mass Salvage on all inventory management screens. Plus, of course, the usual bug fixes.
BioWare hopes to fix 'Anthem' by swapping acts for seasonal updates
It's no secret that Anthem has had a lukewarm response. Dodgy game mechanics and various other bugs meant that developer BioWare published a blog post less than a month after its release, sharing its plans to make the game better. Now, the company has revealed more details on its planned improvements, which includes making changes to the way future Anthem content is released.
‘Anthem’ heads to EA Access after rocky launch
Anthem, the open-world action RPG by Bioware and EA, had a less than stellar debut earlier this year. The game is now available to EA Access and Origin Access subscribers, giving the troubled title one more chance to turn around its fate. Gamers will be able to access the "Standard Edition" of Anthem. If they're subscribers to the PC-only premier tier of Origin Access, they'll have access to the Legion of Dawn edition.
'Spider-Man' and 'God of War' highlight Sony's E3 PS4 sale
Sony might not officially have a physical presence at E3 this year, but that isn't stopping it from holding its PlayStation Days of Play sale. Not only is there a limited edition, 1TB PS4 in steel black ($300) and a discount on the jet black PS4 Pro ($350), but you can get $20 off a PS Plus 12-Month membership and $30 off an annual PS Now subscription.
Xbox One X is $100 off during Microsoft's E3 sale
It's one of the most wonderful times of the year for gamers as E3 is upon us. Not only will the next week or so bring more game announcements than you can shake a stick at, but you can expect sales galore from many of the big hitters. Microsoft, for one, has stepped up to the plate with an array of deals, including a hefty discount on Xbox One X.
‘Anthem’ players already underwhelmed by its first Cataclysm event
BioWare's loot shooter Anthem has suffered through some significant issues, but many gamers have been holding out hope that the promised "Cataclysm" events may make them forget the rocky start. Details of the first planned Cataclysm were revealed on a Twitch livestream yesterday and the early reaction seems to be underwhelming, as the event doesn't appear to be as game-changing as it was once promised.
EA announces E3 livestream schedule and 'Anthem' isn't on it
Electronic Arts revealed the schedule for this year's EA Play, its annual showcase of its flagship games that takes place during E3. The roughly three-hour livestream will air on June 8 and devote a segment each to six different EA titles; Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Apex Legends, Battlefield V, FIFA 20, Madden NFL 20 and The Sims 4. But what sticks out is the agenda's exclusion of Anthem, a decision probably made in the interest of optics. The much-anticipated BioWare shooter had a disastrous, bug-filled launch in April. Multiple patches have been released since then; the game's latest update was unveiled today. BioWare plans to drop some more Anthem-related news on May 30th during a separate livestream.
US charges China-based hacking group for massive 2015 Anthem breach
Four years after hackers committed one of the worst data breaches in history, the US Justice Department has charged a "sophisticated China-based hacking group" with the attacks. An indictment released yesterday charges two members of the group, Fuji Wang and another listed as John Doe, with four counts of conspiracy and intentional damage. According to the indictment, Wang and Doe allegedly broke into and stole data from computer networks in four distinct business sectors. The most high-profile hit was the 2015 Anthem breach, in which prosecutors say the hackers stole personal information from nearly 80 million people.
'Anthem' update adds a dungeon crawl, but delays Cataclysm
BioWare has added a string of content to keep Anthem fresh, although there are some omissions that could rankle early fans of the shared-world shooter. The newly available 1.1.0 update adds a new Stronghold (aka dungeon), Sunken Cell, that gives you a new place to explore once you've finished the main story. It also eliminates some of the drudgery in the game. You can access the Forge (the crafting station) anywhere in the world, start new missions without returning to home base and access contracts without having to pick them up one by one. You can spend more time actually fighting, to put it another way.
Recommended Reading: The road to 'Avengers: Endgame'
Road to Endgame: 'The Avengers' changed cinema and avoided the mistakes of past Marvel movies Siddhant Adlakha, Slashfilm Avengers: Endgame marks the end of a 22-film run for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). While there are certainly plans to make more movies, this phase will soon be over. Slashfilm is revisiting all of them in the run up to the premiere of Endgame on April 26th. This week alone, the site has covered The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy. You can see the full list of the recaps right here.
'Anthem' is proof that crunch can't save AAA games
Anthem is a fiery mess. Since launching in February, BioWare's loot shooter has been plagued by game-breaking bugs, narrative and gameplay inconsistencies and an overwhelming sense of incomplete blandness. Critically, Anthem has received middling reviews, and its current Metacritic score, 55, is the lowest a BioWare title has ever received. Yes, that includes Mass Effect: Andromeda. A report out of Kotaku this week helps explain why Anthem is in disarray, and it shines a light on a consistent and increasingly public issue in AAA development: crunch.
'Anthem' patch taps into NVIDIA's AI-powered antialiasing
A patch to Anthem released on Tuesday that will allow for faster performance as well as some added features. The update includes NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) and NVIDIA Highlights. The game developer claims that Anthem players will see up to 40 percent faster performance with DLSS. DLSS uses AI to continually make the game more efficient, and automatically delivers updated algorithms to your machine.
'Anthem' was the top-selling game in the US this February
BioWare may be racing to fix Anthem after its bumpy launch, but it doesn't have to worry quite so much about its bottom line. NPD Group data shows that the shared-world shooter was the top-selling game in the US in February, and the second strongest game for 2019 up to that point (Kingdom Hearts III is the year's current champion). Moreover, this was the second best launch month for a BioWare game, falling only behind Mass Effect 3's debut in 2012.
