Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has put forward a $10 million plan to rescue Anthem from total obscurity. He suggests that the failed looter-shooter could thrive as a dedicated single-player RPG. This ambitious idea comes just after EA shut down the game’s servers, making it unplayable for its remaining community. It has also sparked renewed discussions about preserving live-service games.
Darrah’s vision focuses on removing the multiplayer setup that troubled Anthem’s launch and overall lifespan. He believes that with a $10 million investment, the core mechanics—particularly the flight systems and combat—could be salvaged to create a narrative-driven experience. This “Anthem NEXT” concept would essentially turn the game into a packaged product, taking away the costs of server upkeep and frequent content updates that ultimately led to EA’s choice to abandon the project.
The proposal critically examines the industry’s current focus on persistent online worlds. Anthem struggled with its identity during development, caught between BioWare’s reputation for storytelling and EA’s push for a “service” model. Darrah’s plan recognizes that while the game failed to compete with Destiny, the foundational work on Bastion’s world and the Javelin suits still represents valuable assets that are currently wasted in a digital graveyard.
However, the success of this revival depends entirely on Electronic Arts. Even though $10 million is a relatively small amount in AAA development, the legal and technical challenges of separating a game from its online structure are significant. For a publisher that has already shifted its resources to the upcoming Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles, revisiting a commercial failure may be tough. Still, Darrah’s proposal gives a glimmer of hope to fans who felt the game’s mechanical potential was always overshadowed by its structural issues.
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