Warp Zoned Presents
All Articles: Anthem
EA teases BioWare’s Anthem; Gameplay reveal coming tomorrow during the Xbox E3 Briefing
Electronic Arts unveiled BioWare’s next project, Anthem, during their EA Play event today. The short trailer is actually a teaser for tomorrow’s full gameplay reveal, which will make its debut during Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference. As of now, the Xbox One is the only confirmed platform for Anthem, but it’s most likely coming to the PC and PS4 as well.
In addition to the strange new world, massive alien creatures, and mech suits seen in the teaser, EA and BioWare hinted at the game’s exploratory nature with a short description:
In Anthem, a new game from EA’s BioWare studio, explore a landscape of primeval beauty, confront the dangers you find, and grow in power with every step.
A slightly different version of this description can be found on Anthem’s official website:
Explore a place you’ve never seen in a time you’ve never known, in Anthem, a new game from EA’s BioWare studio.
Anthem is currently scheduled to launch in Fall 2018.
EA delays BioWare’s untitled next game and EA Sports UFC 3
Electronic Arts hosted their quarterly financial report yesterday, and while the publisher was quite proud of their increased revenues, they also chose to delay two upcoming titles.
BioWare is fresh off the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the developer was planning to launch a brand new game unconnected to any of their previous franchises in Early 2018. But according to CEO Andrew Wilson, that title has been pushed back to “Fiscal Year 2019” (April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019) to make it more “disruptive”:
Looking forward, we will continue our aggressive pace of innovation through experiences that capitalize on our technology, network and creativity. We are very pleased with the progress of our new action IP from BioWare. The design is stunning, gameplay mechanics are excellent, and the action will be exhilarating. This game is built around a live service, and through our creative process, we’ve decided to add more to the disruptive new social designs for our players. To accommodate that, we are moving the launch date for this project into Fiscal Year 2019.
Earlier in the same presentation, Wilson also confirmed that EA Sports UFC 3 won’t be released by the end of the year as originally planned. The fighting game is now scheduled to launch in Early 2018.
With the 2017 E3 Expo less than four weeks away, we’ll likely learn more about both of these games soon.
BioWare will deliver the first entry in a brand new franchise in Early 2018
During EA’s quarterly financial report earlier this week, CEO Andrew Wilson gave investors and fans alike a sneak peek at the year ahead for the megapublisher, and he even peered out into 2018 for one brief moment.
After discussing Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Need For Speed 2017, Wilson turned his attention to BioWare and confirmed that the developer’s next project after Mass Effect: Andromeda will be released in Early 2018. But rather than return to Dragon Age or Jade Empire, BioWare will release the first entry in a brand new franchise that’ll feature “new concepts, new game play mechanics, and new stories.” According to Wilson, the title will also include an “exhilarating” multiplayer component:
At the end of the fiscal year, our BioWare studio will be delivering an all new IP. A clean-sheet design with new concepts, new game play mechanics, and new stories, set in a unique new universe. This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people think about an action title, bringing friends together to play in an exhilarating new way. We’re very excited about the future of this new franchise and its ability to attract a large global audience.
Later, Wilson added that the game will have “greater action and greater adventure” than any of BioWare’s previous games, though it’ll also contain “the great RPG character development and storyline progression” that has become the developer’s trademark:
[BioWare’s next game is] action-adventure, not RPG. So, what we’re starting to see more and more in game genres is kind of genre melding, which is great components of a number of different genres really kind of coming together into single games. And so, when you think about this game, you should be thinking about the great RPG character development and storyline progression that BioWare is known for, but in a world of greater action and greater adventure, which is growing to be one of the larger categories in games. It will be a wholly-owned IP. We’re very excited about it, and we’ll share more in the year to come.
While BioWare’s next project remains unannounced as of today, it’s likely in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Expect to learn more about it during this year’s E3 Expo.
BioWare Austin is now hiring for an original new game
After the unceremonious cancellation of Shadow Realms a year ago, BioWare Austin was a studio without a major project to call their own. But after providing development support for Dragon Age: Inquisition and Mass Effect: Andromeda, it looks like they’re ready to strike out on their own again.
According to a number of new job listings on BioWare’s Careers page, the Austin team is currently recruiting developers to assist in the creation of a brand new intellectual property. While the game is still mostly shrouded in mystery, a few kernels of information are hidden in each job listing.
For example, we know the game will feature a heavy emphasis on online play as BioWare is seeking a Lead Server Software Engineer with expertise in implementing “significant online elements” on the PC and consoles. We’ve also learned that “the former Mass Effect team” will lead development on this new title, thanks to a job listing for a Senior Software Engineer.
Hopefully, we’ll learn more about BioWare’s next project soon.