BioWare's Troubled Shooter Anthem on Brink of Oblivion as Server Shutdown Looms.
In a move that's set to leave fans of the game with nothing but bitter memories, Electronic Arts (EA) has confirmed that the servers for BioWare's beleaguered 2019 shooter, Anthem, will be shut down for good on January 12. The news comes just weeks after EA announced its decision to bring an end to active development on the game.
The once-promising open-world title was touted as a bold new direction from BioWare, but it quickly became apparent that the studio had bitten off more than it could chew. Despite a year's worth of attempts at overhaul and redesign, Anthem continued to flounder, with middling-to-poor reviews from critics and fans alike.
At one point, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson even promised a "longer-term redesign" of the game experience, only for him to leave the company in December 2020. The planned overhaul was subsequently canceled, leaving the future of Anthem hanging in the balance.
For years, the game's servers have remained up and running, albeit with relatively few players at any given time. However, with EA removing the title from digital storefronts last summer and its Xbox Game Pass subscriptions shortly after, it seemed increasingly likely that Anthem would become a relic of the past.
Now, with just weeks to go until the server shutdown, fans are being left with little option but to dig out dusty copies of the game or risk losing access to it forever. EA has reiterated its stance on the matter: since Anthem was designed as an online-only title, its fate is inextricably linked to the servers that host it.
As one user noted on Reddit, "we don't know what we've got till it's gone." The sentiment seems likely to resonate with fans of the game, who have stuck by it despite – or perhaps because of – its numerous shortcomings. While the shutdown may mark the end of Anthem as a playable experience, it may also serve as a final wake-up call for BioWare and EA, prompting them to re-examine what went wrong with this ambitious project.
In a move that's set to leave fans of the game with nothing but bitter memories, Electronic Arts (EA) has confirmed that the servers for BioWare's beleaguered 2019 shooter, Anthem, will be shut down for good on January 12. The news comes just weeks after EA announced its decision to bring an end to active development on the game.
The once-promising open-world title was touted as a bold new direction from BioWare, but it quickly became apparent that the studio had bitten off more than it could chew. Despite a year's worth of attempts at overhaul and redesign, Anthem continued to flounder, with middling-to-poor reviews from critics and fans alike.
At one point, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson even promised a "longer-term redesign" of the game experience, only for him to leave the company in December 2020. The planned overhaul was subsequently canceled, leaving the future of Anthem hanging in the balance.
For years, the game's servers have remained up and running, albeit with relatively few players at any given time. However, with EA removing the title from digital storefronts last summer and its Xbox Game Pass subscriptions shortly after, it seemed increasingly likely that Anthem would become a relic of the past.
Now, with just weeks to go until the server shutdown, fans are being left with little option but to dig out dusty copies of the game or risk losing access to it forever. EA has reiterated its stance on the matter: since Anthem was designed as an online-only title, its fate is inextricably linked to the servers that host it.
As one user noted on Reddit, "we don't know what we've got till it's gone." The sentiment seems likely to resonate with fans of the game, who have stuck by it despite – or perhaps because of – its numerous shortcomings. While the shutdown may mark the end of Anthem as a playable experience, it may also serve as a final wake-up call for BioWare and EA, prompting them to re-examine what went wrong with this ambitious project.
. I remember playing Anthem back in 2019 and was really hyped about its open-world design, but it just didn't work out. The game's server shutdown is a huge blow to fans who have invested so much time into the game, even if it wasn't perfect.
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like, whats the point of even having online gaming if you're just gonna pull the plug after a few years? its not like they were expecting people to keep playing forever 
and now we're stuck with these super outdated games collecting digital dust on our hard drives... EA should've known better, i mean come on, they removed it from game pass last summer and nobody's been playing it anyway 
just another example of how big companies dont care about their customers' experiences 
But seriously, BioWare really dropped the ball on this one. They came out swinging with such high expectations and just couldn't hit their mark. And now it's going to be a memory game 
...I'm definitely gonna have to dig out my old copy or risk losing access to it forever. It's like they say: you don't appreciate something till it's gone 
. I remember when it first came out, people were hyped about the open-world gameplay and the promise of a new BioWare experience 
, but then the game just kinda tanked 
. It's no secret that EA made some mistakes with Anthem, but still... for fans to have to dig out their old copies or risk losing access forever is just sad 
. I hope this shutdown will be a wake-up call for BioWare and EA to learn from their mistakes and take a closer look at what went wrong 
... because, let's face it, Anthem was a bold experiment that didn't quite work out 
. I guess this might be a wake-up call for them tho, like you said, maybe now they can re-examine what went wrong and try again? 
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