Anthem continues its reign of terror as the reviled title claims another victim from developer BioWare. Chad Robertson became the second lead following Ben Irving’s departure earlier in the year, both coming after Anthem flopped critically and commercially out the gates. Though the troubled game still has a waning support system, Robertson's exit from BioWare might mean the game is in dire straits.
Robertson served as the chief developer of live services, essentially making him the most important person involved with the title. With several measures made in a desperate attempt to salvage the game (measures such as making the game free for EA Access users), Robertson and his team was unable to make Anthem the franchise EA was hoping it would become.
In a classy tweet, Robertson was grateful for his 14 years of service and let all fans know that there was no ill will ahead of his departure. Reddit users are not as optimistic, poking light at the idea that BioWare is in good hands. Reddit user u/newcontortionist said, "I like how he says BioWare are in good hands. Their recent track record says otherwise."
BioWare has been under fire for nearly a half-decade after substandard entries in its key franchises. While Dragon Age has seen better days since the release of its first awful sequel, Mass Effect has yet to recover from Andromeda and Anthem's shockwaves continue to be felt. If nothing else, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains active and has been a bright spot on an otherwise desolate landscape.
Anthem isn't going to reinvent itself as a good game anytime soon and the departures of two of the game's leads over the course of the last few months suggests that EA and BioWare are ready to wash their hands of it. In hindsight, Anthem's costly release might pay off in a big way should BioWare take more caution in future titles. If anything, there might be no better time to properly revive Mass Effect to generate interest and hype for the once-mighty studio.
Source: Twitter