Anthem Being Kept Under Wraps Is BioWare’s Own Decision, Director Says

Anthem has been a bit of an enigma- the game, which is confirmed to be a Destiny style title from the studio that brought us Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate 2, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age, has been shown to us a few times (the last time at E3), but apart from that, BioWare’s been a bit silent on it all. While they have told us some things, such as the recent announcement of the game’s composer, we haven’t seen as much of the game as we would have liked to.

According to the game’s director Jonathan Warner, that’s a conscious decision- and it’s not one enforced by the corporate overlords on high at EA or anything- it’s one that the studio arrived at themselves. Speaking with Metro GameCentral, Warner said that BioWare themselves have made the decision to keep things close to the chest until they feel comfortable showing them.

“Without being indiscreet I think it’s really about our choice as developers wanting to bring something and show something that is more full-throated, if you will, at the right time,” Warner said. “I think there’s always the temptation to show stuff early and because it’s new, and because we’ve been iterating on it in a very meaningful way we as developers wanted to hold this a little closer to our breast for just a little bit longer, until we could get it to something like the demo that you see. It was a developer choice.

“EA leadership, from the studio all the way up to the very, very top of the organization have been so supportive of this process. And we’re lucky enough to have leaders who know that developing new IP is really hard. As creators, it’s one of the most challenging and rewarding things you can do. But it is very difficult and I can honestly say, with no BS, that the process has been hugely supportive. I’m not concerned in the slightest about our marketing, we’re gonna come out and really blow the doors off this thing.”

I do understand why BioWare would be wary of playing their hand too soon, since their last few games have suffered from bad early word of mouth thanks to them being shown off before they were ready for prime time- however, I just hope that, this close to the game’s eventual February 22, 2019 release, them wanting to keep things close to the chest isn’t indicative of problems with the game.