Electronic Arts confirmed today thatAnthem, BioWare’s upcoming online multiplayer RPG, is now scheduled for release in early 2019. Refusing to callAnthem’s postponed release datea delay, EA’s CFO Blake Jorgensen described the game’s shifting release date a result of smart scheduling.Anthemwas originally scheduled for release in late 2018.
According to EA, thenext title in theBattlefieldfranchisewill be filling in the company’s late 2018 release slot. WithBattlefieldlaunching in October, EA says that it believesAnthemwill find more success in a less competitive quarter. For now,Anthemwill be the sole major release planned for early 2019, though that’s likely to change as the quarter approaches.
“It’s not a delay. People are trying to create a story,” Jorgensen said in an official statement to the Wall Street Journal. Jorgensen is understandably frustrated that news ofAnthem’s delay leaked, given the effect its had on theEA’s stock value. Kotaku reported news ofAnthem’s delay last week, citing multiple anonymous sources from within BioWare.
Kotaku notably went out of its way not to imply that the delay stemmed from development being behind schedule, but that appears to be how the story has been framed by many outlets since (particularly on YouTube and social media). Rather, the initial reporting of the delay described it as a result of the game’s growing scope, with EA moving additional teams and developers onto the project, and the added pressure onAnthemto impress.
For now, very little is known regardingAnthem. The game wasannounced at E3 2017and has not been showcased at any big events since. With at least a year left beforeAnthem’s release, BioWare has plenty of time to ensure it is exactly the game the studi wants to make and to persuade gamers it’s what we want to play, too.
Anthemis planned for release in early 2018 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
