Anthem launched earlier this year, and while it’s been a surprising sales success, it’s safe to say that the reaction from critics and fans was broadly not positive. The co-op loot shooter has gotten a few sporadic updates since launch, but nothing that matches expectations for what a live service game should deliver – but it seems BioWare has plans in mind to address Anthem’s most fundamental problems in an extensive rework.
The project is referred to internally by names like Anthem 2.0 or Anthem Next, according to a report from Kotaku. The developers still haven’t decided whether this will be a single, large update, an extended series of patches, a major expansion, or even a whole new game.
Whatever form Anthem 2.0 is distributed in, the entire game is set to change drastically, including everything from the mission structure to the world itself. “We spent a few months just tearing it down and figuring out what needed to change fundamentally (a lot),” one anonymous person on the project says. “And we’ve been rebuilding for another few months since.”
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a well-considered rework to turn a ‘dead game’ around. Final Fantasy XIV and No Man’s Sky both had disastrous launches, but both rebuilt with smart updates and features and now enjoy loving communities and general goodwill. Similar – though less dramatic – turnarounds happened with games like Rainbow Six Siege and Destiny, too.
As part of this report, word’s now out that BioWare is also very early in development on Mass Effect 5. Once again – here’s hoping that the former king of RPG games is able to recapture at least a little of that former glory.