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BioWare Admits to Mass Effect: Andromeda Plot Issues, Pledges Focus on Story for Anthem

BioWare Admits to Mass Effect: Andromeda Plot Issues, Pledges Focus on Story for Anthem

By Rishi Alwani | Updated: 17 April 2018 18:04 IST

Highlights

BioWare admits it was frustrating not to deliver any Andromeda DLC
If done right, it believes Anthem would deliver a solid story
The game is slated for a 2019 release window

With Mass Effect: Andromeda releasing to tepid reviews, EA-owned BioWare failed to wrap up the game's loose ends in terms of story particularly in terms of the game's Quarian race and what became of them. In a new series of blog posts to lead up to the next BioWare-developed game, Anthem, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson addressed these issues head on all while promising that the upcoming shared world shooter would have a better fate. And before you ask, no, Mass Effect: Andromeda is not getting any story-based DLC.

"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's post reads. That experience ultimately became a defining moment in refocusing BioWare’s mission."

Further on he pledges that story will be front and centre for Anthem.

"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," he wrote.

"It’s in that spirit that we are working through production on Anthem–a game designed to create a whole new world of story and character that you can experience with friends in an ongoing series of adventures. It will be unlike anything you’ve played, but if we do it right, it will feel very distinctly BioWare."

Although the aforementioned statement seems reminiscent of Destiny and Destiny 2's plot treatment, melding lore with an "evolving" cooperative experience.

How BioWare deliver on this will be a point of concern. Outside of FIFA and Battlefield, EA is yet to have a critical and commercial success in recent memory. For what it's worth EA seem to be painfully aware of any possible issues, moving Anthem to a 2019 release date where it isn't as crowded as the second half of 2018 seems to be.

The reason for Anthem’s delay, EA claims, has nothing to do with reports stating that the game was facing development troubles. Rather, it believes the game has a better chance of meeting sales expectations by launching it in a quieter period. Reason being, a lot of big, established franchises see games out towards the end of the year such as Call of Duty, and EA’s own such as FIFA.

“Regardless of how it’s being portrayed, we’re not look at that as a delay, we’ve chosen to launch Anthem in [the fourth quarter]. The date is chosen by by portfolio balance, not product readiness,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a call to investors. “And we’re really excited by the way the new Battlefield is shaping up. It probably doesn’t make too much sense to launch Anthem right by it. As a new IP, it probably makes sense to give [Anthem] its own launch window.”

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