Anthem’s Story Will Be Good, BioWare Promises

Among the most prevalent criticisms that were leveled at Mass Effect: Andromeda, of which there were many, was the fact that its story and narrative was just not at the quality that fans have come to expect from BioWare games. It left an unpleasant taste in the mouths of gamers who grew up on BioShock and the original Mass Effect trilogy. For Anthem, the developers promise they have learned their lesson.

Set to launch sometime in 2019, Anthem is a game with a lot riding on it. There’s still not a lot known about the title, as Destructoid notes, except that it will resemble an MMO type of sci-fi shooter with Iron Man suits. However, it is known that BioWare’s fate depends on the success of Anthem and its failure could mean devastating consequences for the studio.

In an effort to alleviate some of the anxiety that fans of the company might be feeling towards the upcoming title and to address the lingering resentment that players feel about the cancellation of the Quarian DLC for Andromeda, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson wrote a blog post that sheds some light into how the most recent (and likely last) Mass Effect game has influenced their development process.

“When I returned to BioWare last summer, Mass Effect: Andromeda had just been released and there was a significant movement among players asking for a story DLC that would answer questions surrounding the fate of the quarians. As you know, we were not able to deliver story DLC for Andromeda—this was as frustrating for us as it was for players, and it was something we knew we had to solve in future games,” Hudson writes.

“That experience ultimately became a defining moment in refocusing BioWare’s mission. We need to delight players with new experiences and innovation, but we must stay focused on the importance of the world, character, and storytelling elements that players expect from our games. And our games must be designed to continue delivering new stories and experiences, in an ongoing relationship with players in the worlds we’re evolving together.”