ANTHEM PS4 PlayStation 4 1

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: ANTHEM isn’t great. It’s not horrendous or anything, it’s just a bitter disappointment when you consider that it’s been in development for eternity at top-tier studio, BioWare. Perhaps worryingly for publisher EA, this was billed as one of its big bets – it’s supposed to keep fans engaged for years to come, not just a weekend.

Of course, these new breed of service-driven games live and die not by what’s included day one, but what will be added over time – and to be fair, it does look like the Canadian studio has a decent selection of stuff on the way. Writing on the company’s official website, Head of Live Service (yes, that’s a real job title now) Chad Robertson outlined the organisation’s plans for the next 90 days.

Here’s what will be added in time:

February 2019

  • New Freeplay Event: "Outlaw Outrage"
  • New Freeplay Event: "There Be Giants"
  • New Freeplay Event: Shaper Surge

March 2019

  • New Cosmetics: "Elysian Stronghold Caches"
  • Rewards: New Items
  • New Missions: Legendary Missions - Phase 1
  • New Freeplay Event: TBA (To Be Announced)
  • Freeplay Event: "There Be Giants"
  • Freeplay Event: "Outlaw Outrage"

April 2019

  • Expanded Progression: Mastery System
  • Rewards: New Items
  • Multiple Freeplay Events: TBA
  • Freeplay Event: Shaper Surge
  • New Missions: Legendary Missions – Phase 2
  • New Stronghold: "The Sunken"
  • Social Play: Weekly Stronghold Challenge
  • Social Play: Leaderboards
  • Social Play: Guilds

May 2019

  • Freeplay Events: TBA
  • New Missions: TBA
  • Rewards: New Items

To be fair, it’s a solid selection of content, spanning everything from cosmetics to in-game events. The question is: can BioWare get the actual game up to scratch at the same time, as bugs and long loading times are really hindering its reception right now. Moreover, there’s a little game called The Division 2 on the horizon, which may just eat ANTHEM’s lunch entirely.

[source blog.bioware.com, via uk.ign.com]