Following a less than ideal start, Bioware’s looter-shooter Anthem got the developers to reimagine the game from the beginning. We did not hear much about the so-called Anthem 2.0 or Anthem NEXT with the developers staying quiet during the game’s first anniversary and not revealing anything of substance in the following May studio update:
“The Anthem incubation team has kicked off and we are starting to validate our design hypotheses. Incubation is a term we use internally – it essentially means we are going back and experimenting/prototyping to improve on the areas where we believe we fell short and to leverage everything that you love currently about Anthem. We are a small team – about 30-ish, earning our way forward as we set out to hit our first major milestone goals. Spoiler – this is going to be a longer process. And yes, the team is small but the whole point of this is to take our time and go back to the drawing board. And a small team gives us the agility a larger one can’t afford.” – Christian Dailey, Studio Director for the BioWare Austin office.
Lately, the Bioware Austin Studio Director Christian Dailey has taken to Twitter to share some new concepts for the upcoming revamp, revealing one tantalizing concept after another:
It is going well. Hopefully we can spotlight some of the focus areas soon – player autonomy, proper progression (loot/javelin), endgame…and Pirates…. What topics would you like to see? https://t.co/0EK3KzNat1 pic.twitter.com/mbywBumPW0
— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) July 8, 2020
The first shared concept is dedicated to a new faction coming to Anthem – Pirates of Blood Wind. There is a lively discussion surrounding the artwork, with some players expressing that it doesn’t feel much like Anthem. Christian Dailey answered that “This is why we want to share stuff with you all. It’s nice to get feedback in real time on our concepts. Constructive conversations and opinions, positive or otherwise, are welcome.”
Lots of good discussion around our Pirate friends and new factions. We want to share more on factions and the part they play in the future. One common question though is “where do the Pirates live?” Here of course …. Happy Friday all. pic.twitter.com/dhfFvNXGdy
— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) July 17, 2020
Above the clouds! ….but what is below them.???? pic.twitter.com/CT8oMWRlhW
— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) July 24, 2020
Blog is done and off for approvals. No timing, but I hope in the next few weeks. Thanks again for the awesome response and feedback to everything you are seeing (good and bad). It really means a lot to the team. Have a great weekend all. oh…and this. pic.twitter.com/vnpVFYFcNS
— Christian Dailey (@ChristianDailey) July 25, 2020
