EA hits like Battlefield 4 and The Sims 4 were given time to bounce back from rough launches because they were "too big to fail," whereas with BioWare's Anthem, it wasn't "a given that it was going to be that big"
"Your choices are either to fix Battlefield 4 or shut the studio down, and through much of its recent history, EA has been very reluctant to shut down studios"
(Image credit: EA)
BioWare veteran Mark Darrah has given his insight into why it seems like EA was so quick to move on from Anthem's failure when it gave plenty of time to studios like DICE and Maxis to fix games that also didn't do well at launch, like Battlefield 4 and The Sims 4, respectively.
In the latest episode of his 'What Happened on Anthem' video series, Darrah broke down the two big incentives for EA to invest more in fixing a game like Battlefield 4 as opposed to Anthem.
"Battlefield had this track record of selling way more than 10 million copies, so it was seen as, to some degree, too big to fail," said Darrah. "It was seen as already a giant franchise, so the effort was seen as bringing it back to something it was already shown to be. As opposed to something like Anthem, which was new. It wasn't clear or obvious or a given that it was going to be that big."
So, that's one reason for the apparent discrepancy. But, according to Darrah, "an even bigger factor was simply the structure of BioWare." The studio was never known for Anthem. It was known for Dragon Age. Baldur's Gate. Mass Effect. If a new experiment like Anthem fails, BioWare can just go back to one of its tried and true IP.
Conversely, with DICE circa 2013, "your choices are either to fix Battlefield 4 or shut the studio down," Darrah said. "And through much of its recent history, EA has been very reluctant to shut down studios. Whereas with BioWare, because you have two or three or sometimes even four games jockeying for resources, when something isn't working as well as you wanted, there is always someone else that is desperate for those people, so there's always a greater pressure drawing those resources away."
What Happened on Anthem - Part 3 Post Launch, Wishes, and Recommendations - YouTube
There's probably no greater authority on the failure of Anthem than Darrah, at least not one so willing to talk at length about the topic. His multi-part video autopsy examines fundamental issues with the game's botched multiplayer, lame story, and now, EA's reluctance to give BioWare the time and resources to turn things around.
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After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.
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