BioWare changes Anthem DLC plans as it continues to battle ‘core issues’

BioWare is ditching Anthem’s post-launch Acts content structure in favour of additional “seasonal updates”.

The announcement was made in a blog post as the company continues to work on fixes for “core issues” with the game, which launched in February.

“We hear your concerns on core issues in Anthem and are acting on it,” head of live services Chad Robertson said. “Those systems require a more thorough review and re-working versus quick fixes. We’ve got a team working on that now, and early results are promising.

“In order to address these long-range plans, we are moving away from the Acts structure for updates. Instead, we have additional seasonal updates planned for this year that we think players will enjoy. These events will deliver challenges and chases similar to what you’ve seen, and are built around some fun themes we’re bringing to the game.”

Robertson continued: “As I’ve said previously, we want to be transparent with you that we know more work needs to be done to make Anthem better. We also want to ensure we’re backing up our words with a great game you can play.

“So I don’t have any news today to share about the long-term changes we are bringing to Anthem. What I can say is that we will continue to engage with you, our community, through PTS when we can show you what is coming.”

Anthem’s lead producer Ben Irving revealed in August he was leaving BioWare after eight years at the company. His departure was announced shortly after the launch of Anthem’s first Cataclysm event, one of several major features delayed following the game’s troubled launch.

In May, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said the publisher is likely to adopt soft launches for future online-focused games like Anthem in order to try and ensure there are less issues when its titles are rolled out to a wider audience.

And in June, Wilson backed BioWare to turn Anthem’s fortunes around, stating EA still has faith in the new IP, which he believes is on a 7-10-year journey.