In its first week of sales, Anthem has sold far less than publisher EA expected. After launching on February 22nd, the Destiny-like looter-shooter only sold 40 - 45,000 copies, half of what the infamous Mass Effect: Andromeda sold in its first week, and 10% of what Destiny sold in the same period.
The sales figures are far less than what EA projected for their new release. In statements made to EA's investors, CFO Blake Jorgensen reported that the company expects to sell five to six million copies of Anthem before the fiscal year ends on March 31st. According to Jorgensen, the release of the demo led to players realizing "it is a game that's unlike any game they've ever played", making it likely to sell and continue selling into the future. If EA still hopes to meet this goal, they are going to need to make significantly more sales in the next month. RELATED: EA-Affiliated Youtuber Gives Negative Review Of Anthem, EA Makes Him Take It Down
According to posts on social media, the low sales are likely due to poor ratings from major game reviewers and widespread reports of technical issues. Metacritic gave Anthem an aggregate score of 61/100 from 39 different critics, and an average user rating of 4.1/10 based on 1840 player ratings. Many of these reviews mentioned the game feeling "unfinished", citing incredibly long loading screens, bugs that render the game almost unplayable at times, and serious rubberbanding. [caption id="attachment_354642" align="alignnone" width="1184"] A not-so-great YouTube review by IGN[/caption]
Players on Reddit have reportedly been experiencing the same issues. The  Bugs, Errors, & Issues Megathread on r/AnthemTheGame currently has over 500 comments, with most users mentioning the same issues. Some commenters also complained of consistent game crashes, and even whole consoles shutting down when trying to launch the game.
The release of a seemingly "unfinished" game is especially disappointing for players considering that Anthem has been in development for almost seven years, an incredibly long time, even by AAA standards.
However, there are some players who have not been affected by technical issues and are thoroughly enjoying Anthem. Among the Metacritic ratings there are some nines and tens hiding among the fours and twos, with players praising the beauty of the game's setting, the skill customization and design of the four Javelins, and the engaging storyline.
Many posters on Reddit have also praised Anthem, drawing comparisons between its glitches and those at the launch of Destiny 2, which were eventually solved. For the sake of those who've already bought the game, let's hope this comparison proves to be accurate. Maybe, with a few updates, EA will be able to hit those sales goals after all. READ NEXT: How Video Game Subscription Models Will Change The Industry (If At All) Header image via reddit