adminAnthem development marked a move into multiplayer action for BioWare, a studio widely known for story-driven role-playing games. Mark Darrah, a BioWare veteran who worked at the studio for 24 years, has defended the decision to try a different kind of game, while acknowledging that the project’s problems cannot be blamed on a single company or decision.
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Anthem development and BioWare’s changing direction
In an interview with Destin Legarie, Darrah responded to criticism that BioWare should have stayed focused on single-player RPGs. He argued that the studio had changed its approach many times throughout its history, moving between genres and styles rather than following one fixed formula.
Darrah pointed to the studio’s earlier transitions as examples: BioWare moved from its 2D RPG roots to games such as Neverwinter Nights, and later shifted from tactical role-playing toward the action RPG format of Mass Effect. In his view, studios evolve and take creative risks. He also acknowledged that Anthem may have been an overly ambitious project, while noting that the scale of that risk was difficult to judge in advance.
For players, this distinction matters: experimenting with a new genre does not automatically mean a studio has abandoned its earlier strengths. The challenge is making sure that a new format still delivers the characters, storytelling, and world-building audiences expect.
Darrah says responsibility for Anthem was shared
Darrah also addressed criticism aimed at Electronic Arts, BioWare’s parent company. He said EA deserved some blame for Anthem’s outcome, but stressed that responsibility was not entirely the publisher’s. His comments suggest that the game’s difficulties should be understood as the result of several factors, rather than attributed to one organization alone.
Darrah left BioWare in 2021, alongside general manager Casey Hudson. His comments came as players discussed the game’s shutdown and the decisions made during its development. When assessing a troubled release, it can help to separate questions about a game’s creative direction from questions about its production and publisher involvement.
BioWare had described Anthem as an evolution
Darrah’s position echoed comments from Anthem director John Warner, who described the project before its 2019 launch as part of BioWare’s ongoing creative development. Warner referenced the studio’s progression through games including Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter, Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. He presented Anthem as a continuation of the studio’s efforts to develop its storytelling and craft, rather than a complete break from its past.
That vision placed emphasis on a realized world, memorable characters, and a player-led story. The question for many players was whether those familiar BioWare qualities could work within a multiplayer-focused game.
Anthem’s launch, planned overhaul, and shutdown announcement
Anthem launched in February 2019 to mixed reviews and missed its sales targets. About a year later, BioWare said it planned to revise the game’s core loop. The studio subsequently formed an “incubation team” to work on a new version of the RPG, but BioWare stopped work on Anthem in February 2021.
In July 2025, EA announced that Anthem would be taken offline in January 2026. The announcement followed years of discussion about the game’s future and the limits of supporting an online title after development has ended. Players checking the game’s availability should consult current platform or publisher information, as an announced shutdown date does not by itself confirm present server status.
What the Anthem development debate shows
Darrah’s defense is not a claim that Anthem succeeded in every respect. Rather, it underlines the tension between creative experimentation and delivering a game that meets player expectations. BioWare’s history includes major changes in genre, but each new direction still has to work in practice.
Anthem development remains a notable example of that challenge: a familiar studio tried a different format, struggled to meet its targets, and ultimately ended its work on the game. Darrah’s comments place the project in the wider context of how studios evolve, while recognizing that ambition alone cannot guarantee a successful result.
