With a game so different than the usual action RPG from BioWare, there was a narrative that the Canadian developer was pushed by its publisher and owner Electronic Arts to make the co-op heavy, always online Anthem.
With a game so different than the usual action RPG from BioWare, there was a narrative that the Canadian developer was pushed by its publisher and owner Electronic Arts to make the co-op heavy, always online Anthem.
A narrative the former veteran James Ohlen has debunked in a recent interview with Game Informer, where he explained that the studio has really always wanted to do new things and that this will is what allowed it to stay alive so many years.
“I think one of the things about BioWare has been really good at it, which has allowed it to survive for more than two decades, is taking risks and trying new and different things,” Ohlen said.
According to him, Anthem was “a chance to do something a little different” in comparison with the previous titles, and that the director of the game “was driven by BioWare itself.” “BioWare’s always had a lot of control over the kind of games it makes,” he added.
On top of that, Ohlen, who recently left the developer after more than 20 years spent working with it, debunked the common opinion that another flop like Mass Effect Andromeda could lead to the closure of the studio.
“I think EA is looking for BioWare to be a long-term part of the company,” he said, and in this perspective it also makes more sense to see them making a game like Anthem. “But if it doesn’t do gangbusters I don’t think that’s the end of BioWare.”
Anthem is releasing on February 22, 2019 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
