For the good of video games, Anthem needs to fail hard

[Jester David]

Anthem, the generic shooter/Destiny clone made by the once-great but now-awful Bioware,

One bad game done by an entirely different studio but given the same name (by EA) and one game with with a fan overreaction over the ending and they’re now “awful”...
Sure...

needs to fail for the good of all video games moving forward. EA's future is hinging entirely on this game's success. EA's blatant anti-consumer practices, its fetish for microtransactions, loot boxes, always-online play even for single player, and many other sins, must end.

1) Bioware =/= EA. If Anthem fails EA will just close BioWare without a thought like they’ve done to a dozen other studios in the past.

2) They haven’t announced Anthem as having loot boxes or microtransactions. It very likely won’t have the former as they’re increasingly unpopular. So the fairlure of one game will have zero impact on that.

3) Always online gameplay isn’t going away because piracy isn’t going away and games are expensive. And the ability to jump into a friend’s game is convenient, as is getting help to beat a hard mission or boss.
I love the idea of a multiplayer BioWare game.

4) Anthem has probably been in development since 2012 when Mass Effect 3 came out and the initial conception likely predated Destiny.

Fortunately the utter failure of Star Wars: Battlefront II has eroded consumer trust in EA more than ever, and it is on its last leg. It's time for Anthem to fail so we can sweep the other leg, destroy EA for good, and send a message to other AAA gaming publishers, who have slowly but surely adopted all the anti-consumer garbage that EA pioneered, that these practices are unacceptable.

It will take more than the failure of Anthem to end EA. Much more. EA isn’t going anywhere. They’re too big.

The failure of Anthem will likely mean the end of the DragonAge franchise as we know it. And that will make me sad.

 

[Gladius Legis]

One bad game done by an entirely different studio but given the same name (by EA) and one game with with a fan overreaction over the ending and they’re now “awful”...
Sure...

If you're referring to Mass Effect 3's ending, it deserved every bit of abuse it got. Every. Single. Bit.

Also Dragon Age II was a bad game and Inquisition was only slightly better than mediocre (and everything it did was surpassed by a million miles a few months later by The Witcher 3).

1) Bioware =/= EA. If Anthem fails EA will just close BioWare without a thought like they’ve done to a dozen other studios in the past.

Sure. I wouldn't exactly mind that at this point. But EA's PR is at an all-time low. It's going to hurt, too.

2) They haven’t announced Anthem as having loot boxes or microtransactions. It very likely won’t have the former as they’re increasingly unpopular. So the fairlure of one game will have zero impact on that.

Apparently loot boxes are out, but EA will find other means to stick it to gamers. They always do.

3) Always online gameplay isn’t going away because piracy isn’t going away and games are expensive.

It's only really an affliction in EA's and Activision's titles. Even other AAA titles at least can be played offline if you're single-player only.

It will take more than the failure of Anthem to end EA. Much more. EA isn’t going anywhere. They’re too big.

And more than that has already happened. Star Wars: Battlefront II was an epic failure. Command and Conquer being some half-baked mobile game has made even more gamers upset at EA. And the controversy with Battlefield 5, whether one thinks that controversy is merited or not, has done even more damage.

Don't be too sure that EA can afford Anthem to fail and stay afloat. It's on very shaky ground due to a number of factors, controversies and incidents.

 

[trappedslider]

It's only really an affliction in EA's and Activision's titles.

.

Beth would like you to come visit West Virginia in Fallout 76,as for EA going kaput...The annual releases of Madden say doubt it....

 

[Imaculata]

Anthem wasn't really on my radar to be honest. Nothing I've seen of it appeals to me. Had I been interested in it though, the fact that EA is behind it would not factor into my purchase decision. The inclusion of loot boxes and similar slimy business practices, would immediately deter me from buying it though. But since none have been announced for Anthem so far, the OP seems to be jumping the gun a little.

The OP seems to be on some strange crusade against EA. But sticking it to Bioware is doing nothing to help that cause. Bioware has made some incredible games over the years (some of which are among my favorites), so I don't see why trying to get a lot of talented people at that studio to lose their jobs is useful, or deserving.

Dragonage 2 was a bit disappointing, but probably due to a rushed release schedule. That stuff happens in game development, especially when working on big triple-A titles. Mass Effect 2 on the other hand was amazing. Lots of people tend to forget that up to the ending, Mass Effect 3 is also pretty good, as is Dragon Age 3. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't be wary for consumer exploitation, such as with Star Wars Battlefront 1&2 recently. But I think it is more useful to just not buy games containing this sort of of exploitation.

The OP sounds a bit fanatical in his crusade against EA, so I can see why a lot of people have been posting snarky responses in this thread.

 

[Jester David]

If you're referring to Mass Effect 3's ending, it deserved every bit of abuse it got. Every. Single. Bit.

It was a whiny overreaction by a small segment of the online community.

The Reaper's motive was so-so but worked thematically with the franchise. And that only existed because fans spoiled the original ending. Blame them, not EA.
The rest, with the cinematics, is necessary given the number of variables. They couldn't have a hundred small cutscenes.

The original ending was problematic not for what it contained, but what was absent: a brief rundown on what happens next as a result of your actions. And they fixed that with the free DLC where they had a voice over explain what happened as the result of your actions. Once they did that, I was completely satisfied with the ending.

Also Dragon Age II was a bad game

No it wasn't. It was fine.

The problem was fan expectations. People went in Expecting DragonAge: Origins II and the same thing as the prior games. Which it wasn't.
When you play it knowing it's something entirely different—a game set in the same world but about very different things—it plays just fine. (EA is to blame for that. It was originally going to be DragonAge: Legacy or something, but EA made them add the "II" instead.)

and Inquisition was only slightly better than mediocre (and everything it did was surpassed by a million miles a few months later by The Witcher 3).

A better game coming out later doesn't make something bad.

(And by your complaints of Anthem, shouldn't we call The Witcher 3 a good DAI clone?)

Plus, it's not like BioWare's past games were somehow magically perfect. Their animation and combat have always been problematic. Their first big game (Baldur's Gate) is almost unplayable by modern standards, where you spend 30 hours and only get to level 4 or 5... Mass Effect is dragged down by its horrible inventory management, repetitive maps, and limited number of opponents.

It's only really an affliction in EA's and Activision's titles. Even other AAA titles at least can be played offline if you're single-player only.
Sure. If you artificially cut out the huge wave of multiplayer-only games that are massively popular.
And if you ignore stuff like Destiny, Diablo 3, Monster Hunter World, the upcoming Fallout game, etc.

It sure seems like most players are okay with online-only games because they all seem to sell pretty darn well, and people are pretty much online 24-7 anyway.

And more than that has already happened. Star Wars: Battlefront II was an epic failure. Command and Conquer being some half-baked mobile game has made even more gamers upset at EA. And the controversy with Battlefield 5, whether one thinks that controversy is merited or not, has done even more damage.

Don't be too sure that EA can afford Anthem to fail and stay afloat. It's on very shaky ground due to a number of factors, controversies and incidents.

Do 30 seconds of research.

EA ends their financial year in March. So their "year" has already ended. Even with the Battlefront II disaster, EA made a billion dollars in profits for 2018, with total revenue of over $5 billion. Which is over $300 million more than FY2017. (And would likely also include a bunch of sales for Mass Effect Andromeda, which was released at the end of FY2017, so it was likely hoped to generate profits for both 2017 and 2018.)

So, no, they're not near collapse.

And while Battlefront was not well received, the latest Sims game is doing well and FIFA continues to be a goldmine.
Oh... and while Battlefront II did not sell as well as expected, it still sold millions of copies and likely turned a profit.

A bunch of fan moaning about Command & Conquer being a mobile game means what to the company's finances? It's if it sells well that matters.
Hold onto you hat... but mobile games sell well. Because almost everyone has a phone or tablet but a significantly smaller percentage have a big expensive console. Look at how Fortnite is completely taking over. How? It's mobile and attractive to kids. A mobile C&C game could make all the money for EA, and succeed despite ignoring the whiny adult fanbase.

If Anthem craters, it won't even TOUCH EA.
Period.
Anthem could not sell a single copy and EA would still make $500 million dollars in pure profit.

But if Anthem doesn't sell well because a bunch of people have an unreasonable grudge against EA for lootboxes, EA will just close BioWare, putting 800 people out of a job, prematurely ending the Dragon Age franchise, and probably also meaning other studios owned by EA will be given less latitude to make original content and we get more sequels in place of new content.

 

[jonesy]

Honestly this is the first time I've paid any attention to Anthem. Went and checked some game footage because of this thread. Kinda seems like a mix of Halo, Tribes and Warframe. I don't quite understand why it has Diablo-style damage indicators that block the players view of the enemies. The ingame "story" gives me Gears of War vibes, and not in any good way.

Also Dragon Age II was a bad game and Inquisition was only slightly better than mediocre (and everything it did was surpassed by a million miles a few months later by The Witcher 3).

Dragon Age II was bad? No.

Dissappointing? Perhaps to some. Different in game mechanics as compared to Origins? Yes. Different in style? Absolutely. Incomplete, rushed, and buggy on release? Sure (but then again, so many games these days are that on release). Bad? Still no.

Origins was a power fantasy. You not only save the world, you can save pretty much everything you come across.

The story in Dragon Age II was the complete opposite of that. It's the story of a refugee trying to find a place in a world that doesn't want him/her. It's the story of how things don't always work out no matter how powerful you yourself might be. A thematic opposite to the first. But that just makes it different. It's still a good game. DAII is easily in the top-10 RPG's of 2011 (granted, on that list it probably was on last place).

Inquisition was also different in its themes. It's a very mismatched trilogy. But the games individually were all good games. And comparing anything in the RPG genre to The Witcher 3 is stupid. It's the best there is. Of course everything else looks bad by comparison.

The thing about "loot boxes" is that they are not inherently a bad thing. It's all in how they are used. Eve Online has loot boxes everywhere and I've never seen anyone there complain about them. You can even buy them, and still people don't care. But that's because in Eve everything (except certain blueprints, which you can't even buy on open market anymore) can be found in-game in free play these days. Money just makes things progress faster. You don't want to pay, don't. Just go do wormholes and come back with trillions of in-game currency. I'm using Eve as an example here, because that's the way I think it should be done. Where Battlefront 2 the second was the worst way.

 

[Jester David]

Anthem wasn't really on my radar to be honest. Nothing I've seen of it appeals to me.

I love the DragonAge series and Mass Effect, but get precious little video game time these days due to fatherhood. What free time I do have tends to be focused on playing with multiplayer a friend, often an MMORPG or online survival game.
So being able to combine a BioWare RPG and its characters and story with online gameplay I can duo with a friend sounds amazeballs.

 

[Gladius Legis]

It was a whiny overreaction by a small segment of the online community.

The Reaper's motive was so-so but worked thematically with the franchise. And that only existed because fans spoiled the original ending. Blame them, not EA.
The rest, with the cinematics, is necessary given the number of variables. They couldn't have a hundred small cutscenes.

The original ending was problematic not for what it contained, but what was absent: a brief rundown on what happens next as a result of your actions. And they fixed that with the free DLC where they had a voice over explain what happened as the result of your actions. Once they did that, I was completely satisfied with the ending.

It wasn't a "small segment." It was the vast majority of Mass Effect fans. The choices you made for 3 games simply did not matter in any way because you destroyed it all, no matter your color choice. Talk to people offline and you'll get the same near-universal condemnation.

The cinematics thing is a lame excuse for lazy storytelling. And the free DLC was a band-aid on an aorta wound.

The problem was fan expectations. People went in Expecting DragonAge: Origins II and the same thing as the prior games. Which it wasn't.
When you play it knowing it's something entirely different—a game set in the same world but about very different things—it plays just fine. (EA is to blame for that. It was originally going to be DragonAge: Legacy or something, but EA made them add the "II" instead.)

The themes of DA2's story were not my problem with it. My problems with it were the overly simplified combat, character progression and leveling, and bare-bones dialogue trees.

And if you ignore stuff like Destiny, Diablo 3, Monster Hunter World, the upcoming Fallout game, etc.

It sure seems like most players are okay with online-only games because they all seem to sell pretty darn well, and people are pretty much online 24-7 anyway.

Those are multiplayer games. EA has made online mandatory even for single-player games (see the SimCity debacle, for example).

And while Battlefront was not well received, the latest Sims game is doing well and FIFA continues to be a goldmine.
Oh... and while Battlefront II did not sell as well as expected, it still sold millions of copies and likely turned a profit.

Enough gamers got suckered into buying Battlefront II to be a million seller. Unfortunately, EA got their money. However, now EA has the bad PR from Battlefront II that will impact later sales.

It's usually not the crappy game itself that tanks sales figures, but the game after that does. (See Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Unity debacle, and how it was Syndicate a year later that bit the dust sales-wise for it.)

If Anthem craters, it won't even TOUCH EA.
Period.
Anthem could not sell a single copy and EA would still make $500 million dollars in pure profit.

On the other hand, if Anthem fails, and Battlefield 5 fails, and whatever other microtransaction-riddled projects fail ...

But if Anthem doesn't sell well because a bunch of people have an unreasonable grudge against EA for lootboxes, EA will just close BioWare, putting 800 people out of a job, prematurely ending the Dragon Age franchise, and probably also meaning other studios owned by EA will be given less latitude to make original content and we get more sequels in place of new content.

Or it might *gasp* force EA to re-evaluate their current money-grubbing course, see that what they're doing for the last decade has put millions of gamers on the verge of revolt, and either get better or die.

BioWare probably is toast, though. And as I said, in its current form, it won't break my heart.

 

[Jester David]

It wasn't a "small segment." It was the vast majority of Mass Effect fans.

No it wasn't. It was a small minority of unhappy trolls who were vocal online.

-edit-
Case and point, sales for Mass Effect 3 were in the 6 million range. Compared to the 4 million for Mass Effect 2.
So a full third of the audience had made ZERO choices from the previous games. And since Mass Effect 1 only sold three million copies, that's half the audience that didn't have all the choices of all three games matter.

The hard truth is... most people were casual and likely happily enjoyed the game and moved on. They had no strong feelings one way or another.
Don't mistake the protests of a unhappy minority for consensus.

The choices you made for 3 games simply did not matter in any way because you destroyed it all, no matter your color choice. Talk to people offline and you'll get the same near-universal condemnation.

The entire third game was the end. It was dealing with the consequences of the prior game.

EA has made online mandatory even for single-player games (see the SimCity debacle, for example).

Wasn't that from six years ago?
Again, a small number of people whine but most people shrugged and went "I'm online all the time anyway. What's the big deal?" And the game sold a couple million copies and was a huge success.

Enough gamers got suckered into buying Battlefront II to be a million seller. Unfortunately, EA got their money. However, now EA has the bad PR from Battlefront II that will impact later sales.

It's usually not the crappy game itself that tanks sales figures, but the game after that does. (See Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Unity debacle, and how it was Syndicate a year later that bit the dust sales-wise for it.)

Or.... it could be your views do not reflect those of the majority.

On the other hand, if Anthem fails, and Battlefield 5 fails, and whatever other microtransaction-riddled projects fail ...

And if a meteorite hits their corporate office. Or the CEO is accused of statutory rape of livestock.
Battlefield 5 is shaping up to be a predictable hit. But even if it and Anthem fail Madden and FIFA will keep the company in the black.

Or it might *gasp* force EA to re-evaluate their current money-grubbing course, see that what they're doing for the last decade has put millions of gamers on the verge of revolt, and either get better or die.

Omigod.... you mean a corporation acting like a *gasp* business. A publicly traded company trying to make money, like they are required to do by law to satisfy their shareholders.

So long as what they're doing makes money, EA will keep doing it. If microtransactions and lootboxes didn't work, they wouldn't do them. They're not a charity. They're not doing this for art or love. They're a business.

 

[Gladius Legis]

No it wasn't. It was a small minoirty of unhappy trolls who were vocal online.

Guarantee you you're wrong. Absolutely no one in real life who I know played ME3 had anything kind to say about the ending. And they're not the type who troll forums.

The entire third game was the end. It was dealing with the consequences of the prior game.

And then blew it all up in the end regardless, making it, again, not matter.

Again, a small number of people whine but most people shrugged and went "I'm online all the time anyway. What's the big deal?" And the game sold a couple million copies and was a huge success.

Again, not a small number of people. And it was so "successful" that the much older SimCity 4 (!) instantly shot up the Steam best-seller charts in response to the utter debacle of the most recent SimCity.

It was also so "successful" that gamers flocked to Cities: Skylines in DROVES when it released. C:S is still releasing new content and getting millions of new players, and meanwhile the latest SimCity is dead in the water. So "successful."

Or.... it could be your views do not reflect those of the majority.

You haven't proven that it's not the majority.

Battlefield 5 is shaping up to be a predictable hit. But even if it and Anthem fail Madden and FIFA will keep the company in the black.

Dumb as I think the Battlefield 5 controversy is, it WILL have a pretty sharp impact.