We’ve heard a lot about how BioWare wants to support Anthem, its upcoming shared-world shooter, past its launch date. From free story DLC to seasonal events, the developer is insistent on fostering a communal form of story-telling while also expanding the world’s lore.
Speaking to US Gamer, lead producer Mike Gamble says that Anthem’s post-launch support is actually a “big thing”. “We don’t have to wait for full expansions anymore like our previous games, let alone other games in the [live service] space,” he said. “If you look at Dragon Age or Mass Effect you’d have to wait for three, four, five, six months sometimes between big updates. We don’t have to abide by that anymore. We can actually, week-over-week, trickle out content.”
Gamble also talked about the post-launch support for Mass Effect: Andromeda, which purportedly had single-player DLC cancelled due to a poor critical and commercial reception. He noted that unlike Andromeda, Anthem’s ability for post-launch content was planned from the start.
“I can speak conclusively when it comes to Andromeda, the [post-launch] plans were never in place the way that they are for Anthem,” he said. “The systems and tools weren’t in place to support the long-term plans, it was never like [Anthem] — never had a good, solid foundation to start from with that. Where with Anthem [post-launch] is a part of it. The job does not end on February 22. It only begins for us, really.”
Anthem will receive a demo on February 1st 2019 for those who pre-order on PS4 or subscribe to EA Access/Origin Access on Xbox One and PC respectively. The full game arrives on February 22nd 2019. Perhaps BioWare will have a more thorough content roadmap closer to release. At this point, we’re just playing the waiting game and seeing what the developer has in store for us.