Anthem Next Been Canceled

BioWare's Attempted Revival of Anthem Has Been Canceled Following a Reported Review of Development


Published: February 24, 2021 2:23 PM /

By:


Anthem Next reportedly canceled cover

Anthem Next has been canceled, putting an end to Bioware's aspirations to revive its ambitious MMO that didn't quite see the success it had expected.

Anthem is one of BioWare's newer games that had a lot of things people should love: powered armor, jetpacks, and tons of cool enemies to fight. Unfortunately, the game didn't seem to resonate with players after its launch and BioWare decided to head back to the drawing board, redesigning key systems such as loot drops and skills.

BioWare released several blog posts that indicated it was making good progress on the revival of the game known as Anthem Next. Unfortunately, it looks like it was all for naught: the Anthem revival has officially been canceled as reported by Jason Schreier, likely after an internal review of the game.

"In the spirit of transparency and closure we wanted to share that we’ve made the difficult decision to stop our new development work on Anthem (aka Anthem NEXT)," read a BioWare blog post from Christian Dailey. "We will, however, continue to keep the Anthem live service running as it exists today."

Anthem Next reportedly canceled slice

Why Was Anthem Next Canceled?

BioWare declined to mention any one specific reason for why Anthem Next was canceled, but there were certainly a number of contributing factors. Naturally, the COVID-19 pandemic also players a role in the game's demise.

Unfortunately, the pandemic was the only solid issue mentioned in BioWare's blog post. Was it a problem with the game's design? Were there issues with the monetization model? No one's talking, sadly — not yet, anyways.

Anthem Next reportedly canceled slice 2

What Happens Now?

The cancellation of Anthem Next is surely disappointing to the fans of the original and new players alike, both of whom were likely looking forward to the carefully-redesigned systems that were supposed to debut with the game's return.

Going forward, BioWare plans to increase its focus on future Dragon Age and Mass Effect games while also continuing to provide "quality updates" to Star Wars: The Old Republic in lieu of working on Anthem.

There is one tiny upside, though.— BioWare has committed to maintaining the original version of Anthem for some time. It didn't mention any specific timeframe for that version of the game shutting down, so it's best to enjoy Anthem while you still can.

Are you sad to see Anthem Next canceled? Do you think BioWare could have successfully revived the game? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Anthem
Game Page Anthem
Developer
Bioware
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Platforms
Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date
February 22, 2019 (Calendar)
Genre
Action RPG
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)