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[GoldenEye98]

During yesterday’s Q4 2018 earnings call, Electronic Arts indirectly confirmed that Anthem, Bioware’s highly anticipated new IP, will release in March 2019. We knew it would launch in early 2019, but now Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen revealed the month, too.

"In the case of Anthem, the real issue is, the game will be shipped in the last quarter of the year and in the last month of that quarter, meaning we’ll probably have limited restocking of the title, even if it’s extremely successful. Since it is new IP, we’re being conservative in how we’re thinking about it. We’re very excited about the game. It’s extremely unique, and I think players are going to really enjoy playing it, but we’re careful not to put too large of a forecast in there. And clearly, it will impact this year as well as next year as we not only continue to sell more into the next year but start rolling out the live services associated with that game."

https://wccftech.com/ea-confirms-anthem-for-march-2019/

 

[Eliciel]

I don't get the argument with the last quarter of the year. So, you are telling me that you need 4 months for "restocking situation?

 

[Imtjnotu]

Wonder how EA is going to incorporate micro transactions with this game

 

[MMaRsu]

Wonder how EA is going to incorporate micro transactions with this game

They will try to Destiny 2 the whole thing

 

[Codes 208]

And yet weve seen almost nothing of it in a year.

Cant help but feel this game will get a delay.

 

[Fbh]

I guess they'll have plenty of content at E3 then. Hopefully there's some Beta too.

Since it is new IP, we’re being conservative in how we’re thinking about it.

Lol, I'll look forward to some executive mentioning that the game "didn't meet the sales expectation" when it fails to sell 10 Million in the first month

 

[Redshirt]

The whole section in the transcript about Anthem is a bit disheartening because he talks about EA no longer measuring games in terms of copies sold but in the value of whales.

Pachter suggests that Anthem is likely going with the Overwatch approach, and EA is clearly keen on this being more of a service than Destiny ever hoped to be.

I guess the upside here is that if it turns out to be a good game and you're not prone to bad mtx expenditures, it could be a lot of content without a lot of cost.

 

[Nikana]

Yea... right...March 2019

 

[makaveli60]

And yet weve seen almost nothing of it in a year.

Cant help but feel this game will get a delay.

More time for the inevitable downgrade.

 

[VectorVictor]

More time for the inevitable downgrade.

Or for Microsoft to buy EA and slap exclusivity on it?

I'm only half-serious...though it's odd we haven't heard anything about Microsoft's massive warchest they're repatriating.

 

[makaveli60]

Or for Microsoft to buy EA and slap exclusivity on it?

I'm only half-serious...though it's odd we haven't heard anything about Microsoft's massive warchest they're repatriating.

To be honest I don't think it would be too bad if MS bought EA's developers. They are a bit better as publishers than EA. IMO they are currently the worst.

 

[ultrazilla]

Wonder how EA is going to incorporate micro transactions with this game

I follow a Twitter account that's named "Anthem Insiders" and while I know we *don't* know if there's actual "insiders" from Bioware running it/feeding these folks info....
they did respond to one of my tweets about "microtransactions" and if EA had learned *ANTHING* from Star Wars Battlefront 2, they'd announce NO Microtransactions or
at least just COSMETIC microtransactions that are NOT PAY TO WIN. They responded by saying something along the lines of "We believe the game will only feature cosmetic
microtransactions only. No pay to win". So take with a huge grain of salt but if that is indeed true(we'll find out at E3) then I think it'll be a positive thing for Bioware and EA.
I just don't trust EA though and they've apparently said they've "learned their lesson" with the Battlefront 2 bullshit so we'll see............

 

[mckmas8808]

And yet weve seen almost nothing of it in a year.

Cant help but feel this game will get a delay.

Isn't that normal. The game will be shown again this e3 for 9 months of promo. That's normal.

 

[thelastword]

More time for the inevitable downgrade.

Hmmmm, when next you see anthem, some things might get dialed down for sure, but it's how most of these third party hyped games go. Reminds me of Watchdogs, Witcher 3 and The Division. Pretty much any hyped reveal based on graphics at E3 that takes it's time to come out, with a couple of delays no doubt.....are tell tale signs.

In the end, these devs should ensure performance is up there. Division had good performance on consoles at least, so it was a good balance in the end minus the downgrades.

 

[makaveli60]

Hmmmm, when next you see anthem, some things might get dialed down for sure, but it's how most of these third party hyped games go. Reminds me of Watchdogs, Witcher 3 and The Division. Pretty much any hyped reveal based on graphics at E3 that takes it's time to come out, with a couple of delays.....are tell tale signs.

In the end, these devs should ensure performance is up there. Division had good performance on consoles at least, so it was a good balance in the end minus the downgrades.

But it's bad that we accept this just like that. I mean, nowadays we just have to assume that if something looks unbelievable then it is because it is unachievable on current hardware. Yes, mostly 3rd party games, but even exclusives go through some minor downgrades. I think previous gens were different. Games tended to look better closer to release, and not worse. Don't take me wrong, I'm okay with how games look today, but I just hate it that they still look worse than what they show us initially.

 

[fudgey_lumpkins]

I don't get the argument with the last quarter of the year. So, you are telling me that you need 4 months for "restocking situation?

No, it does not mean it will take 4 months. It will be more like 1. They likely aren't going to start a second production run until April 1 so as to not negatively affect 2018's financials. It will then take about a week or so to get to stores. So depending on when in March it releases, it could be about a month before stores are restocked. Besides, the game will be available digitally 24/7 so it isn't as if EA will have any dire need to get more copies in stores as quickly as possible.

 

[48086]

Good. I was thinking it would be fall of 2019 but I am all for AAA titles moving to earlier in the year.

 

[nani17]

Don't think I'll buy this because it's just EA's version of Destiny and we all know it was delayed because of Battlefront 2 backlash. It will have loot boxes and microtransactions but probably not as strong as it was originally intended

 

[Syrklens]

I think this is not good idea to release Anthem in early access. I remember what's happened with Destiny 2, which content was over a month after release.

 

[Jigsaah]

I honestly think EA has learned their lesson. While they arent coming straight out like CD Projekt Red and saying no microtransactions ever I think they would be crazy to launch this new IP and then stifle it's ability to appeal to the masses by including divisive and borderline illegal loot boxes. I mean, fire is hot, i think EA knows that. They got burned on SWBF2 and I don't think they will put their hand on the stove again with Anthem.

What I do see them doing is trying to cash in on DLC, bidding for the lesser of two evils without totally giving up on profits. They'll probably pull an Activision. Release the game, no microtransactions...get those initial sales and hit their target, then slap some cosmetic and eververse-esque crap in there for the casuals who don't really follow the greedy intentions as closely as we do.

 

[Codes 208]

To be honest I don't think it would be too bad if MS bought EA's developers. They are a bit better as publishers than EA. IMO they are currently the worst.

Between wwe and bf2 i concur. And the sad part is with fortnite's success i bet ea will be aping their lootsystem with the next bf or garden warfare

 

[thelastword]

But it's bad that we accept this just like that. I mean, nowadays we just have to assume that if something looks unbelievable then it is because it is unachievable on current hardware. Yes, mostly 3rd party games, but even exclusives go through some minor downgrades. I think previous gens were different. Games tended to look better closer to release, and not worse. Don't take me wrong, I'm okay with how games look today, but I just hate it that they still look worse than what they show us initially.

I agree it's bad, Witcher 3, Watch Dogs and the The Division were the main culprits this gen especially the two W's......The games looked much worse than what was initially shown, and to Witcher 3's detriment, console performance and graphical settings were terrible at launch, and yet, it's still not a locked 30fps even on today's mid gen consoles.

So my thought was, if you're going to lower graphical detail, it has to be to correct framerate and other miscellaneous issues right? but even then, that don't always pan out, which is a shame and not acceptable. Witcher 3 still has slowdown, had settings below low on consoles when it launched, bad pop-in issues, texture loading issues, bad load times etc....all at a much lower fidelity than when it was first shown. At the very least, if you can't live up to the graphics touted in initial trailers, nail perf to justify where the render budget went. I'm sure if you ask EA they'd say Anthem was running at 30fps 4k etc at E3 on consoles...

 

[zeorhymer]

Meh. No buy for me until I see real game play. Not that scripted garbage that they showed in the trailer. Have they not learned anything from the Division? "Early-access" is a really bad move on so many levels. Why does a triple A developer need early access? That sounds like something went really really wrong and they need player input fast to somewhat steer the ship. Well it's not too hard of a reach that SW Battlefront 2 is the cause of all this.

 

[NahaNago]

But it's bad that we accept this just like that. I mean, nowadays we just have to assume that if something looks unbelievable then it is because it is unachievable on current hardware. Yes, mostly 3rd party games, but even exclusives go through some minor downgrades. I think previous gens were different. Games tended to look better closer to release, and not worse. Don't take me wrong, I'm okay with how games look today, but I just hate it that they still look worse than what they show us initially.

But isn't that simply because the hardware isn't such a mystery this gen to where the devs have to figure it out in order to get the best possible game out of it. Now it is the opposite of we can make the game look this great on the console but it will run like crap so time to downgrade to where it can run decent.

 

[Neolombax]

I find myself hard to trust another EA game. They practically left SWBF2 to die slowly.

 

[John Day]

Early next year, we know nothing of it, and it may have extensive early access....

I’m tempted to bet there the words “battle” and “royale” involved.

But i know shit, so. But for fun let’s bet!

 

[makaveli60]

But isn't that simply because the hardware isn't such a mystery this gen to where the devs have to figure it out in order to get the best possible game out of it. Now it is the opposite of we can make the game look this great on the console but it will run like crap so time to downgrade to where it can run decent.

Then just simply don't do this, don't try to deceive us. Although I don't fully agree with you, because games now look much better than at the start of the gen.

 

[ruvikx]

The game which will make or break Bioware. It's funny how EA employs a developer to make a game (such as Anthem) which isn't even their traditional forte (Bioware make rpg's, not massively multiplayer Destiny/Division clones)... whilst throwing down the gauntlet in a do or die "must-be-successful or else" venture. They did the same with Visceral when they made them make a first person shooter (Battlefield Hardline, i.e. totally different genre from Dead Space) & then Star Wars... without a clear vision as per 'what' that Star Wars game would even be.

Kaboom, Visceral is now finished. We'll see if history repeats itself.

 

[GenericUser]

Microtransactions, the game.

 

[DavidGzz]

Nice, can't wait to see more at E3. Downgrade imminent? It looked insane.

 

[VertigoOA]

I’m excited. Don’t care about cosmetic microtransactions and the faux outrage over them.

I’ll be there day one and will ride it out if it PLAYS well.

Will leave the screaming at the sky, fake impressions and driveby baseless opinions to resetera.

Downgrade is inevitable. From the sound of reports development didn’t really get moving until a bit after the reveal. Doesn’t matter tho since that doesn’t mean a thing.

Hell, I’m happy they’re done with mass effect. Move onto bigger ideas.

 

[nowhat]

Hell, I’m happy they’re done with mass effect. Move onto bigger ideas.

I mean, the way they handled ME:A I'm glad they've given the series a rest (for now, at least). But how is cloning Destiny/Division "moving onto bigger ideas"? That's what I've been able to gather from this game thus far, and it doesn't strike me as being particularly innovative. From a personal POV (as someone who loves single-player games and really couldn't care less about online for the most part) this seems like a regression on pretty much every front.

 

[VertigoOA]

Well I think the exact opposite. Games with pve rpg mechanics are far more rewarding: loot has a bigger impact on engagements. I like my single player games too but ongoing games as service are far more engaging to me. Don’t even give a shit if it has a coherent story. Prefer to play games with a real crew as your expedition party as opposed to a cast of characters and stupid romance options.

 

[nowhat]

Well I think the exact opposite. Games with pve rpg mechanics are far more rewarding: loot has a bigger impact on engagements. I like my single player games too but ongoing games as service are far more engaging to me. Don’t even give a shit if it has a coherent story.

Different strokes and all that, nothing wrong with it. Just that in my opinion, BioWare has (for all their flaws/duds, which there have been aplenty) been championing "a coherent story" as you phrased it, one of the few studios outside first-party ones that do so. For them to move onto GaaS lootfests doesn't strike me as "eureka!" but rather "me too!".

 

[sublimit]

Can't wait for dem lootboxes!!!

 

[WaterAstro]

A game this big that's already coming out so soon? This is going to be a mega bug fest since it's coming out of Bioware under a tight deadline.

 

[xviper]

this is the next big disappointment and i 100% guarantee it, it's The Division of 2019, it's gonna be a good game but people will hype the shit out of it until they are expecting a masterpiece, and so they will be highly disappointed just like what happened with The division

 

[VertigoOA]

this is the next big disappointment and i 100% guarantee it, it's The Division of 2019, it's gonna be a good game but people will hype the shit out of it until they are expecting a masterpiece, and so they will be highly disappointed just like what happened with The division

Unrealistic expectations. People expect 10 years worth of WoW content for a 60$ game without the revenue streams (subscriptions) to satiate the habits of 24/7 gamers. At launch all they need to provide is a fun game that plays well.

 

[CaptainJaff]

Hell, I’m happy they’re done with mass effect. Move onto bigger ideas.

That hurts man, that has cut me deep.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Its EA guys, they won't be able to resist the urge to fill the game with microtransactions and loot boxes. You will pay for cosmetics and buffs. Full MMO style, items that give 20% more EXP or money or better drop rate for 1h and stuff like that. Expect Random content boxes and even doritos or mountain dew adverts while the game searches for players in matchmaking activities.
Expect the worse and you won't be so disappointed when it releases (this is not a 100% guarantee).

 

[nowhat]

Unrealistic expectations. People expect 10 years worth of WoW content for a 60$ game without the revenue streams (subscriptions) to satiate the habits of 24/7 gamers.

Well, I bought Andromeda expecting 20-30 hours of Mass Effect content for $60. That's not what I got, at all. So I'll remain skeptical for the time being.

 

[Redshirt]

If Anthem is as successful as Division, I'd personally be happy. I'll hope for more, but I like Division a lot and loved the growth. I'm excited for the sequel.

As for expectations, EA needs to manage them. Beyond the ridiculous E3 video, I think Massive managed expectations. Bungievision didn't.

 

[VertigoOA]

Well, I bought Andromeda expecting 20-30 hours of Mass Effect content for $60. That's not what I got, at all. So I'll remain skeptical for the time being.

I got about 80hrs of campaign from andromeda to completion.

Also, comparisons to andromeda may be a bit unfair since a different team altogether is making anthem.

I’m quite optimistic honestly. Im not a huge bioware fan, I’ve loved the first two kotor games and really dug mass effect overall. Dragon age is trash imo (well inquisition) but I’m still excited by this. Then again, I’m not one to care about microtransactions or perceived corporate greed. I don’t engage in them and tend to find many of the games that use those revenue streams quite good.

Too many are crucifying this game before we’ve seen any legit gameplay or content

 

[GoldenEye98]

More time for the inevitable downgrade.

I believe that gameplay shown last year was running on an Xbox One X. Either way went back and looked and the trailer and while it looks nice it's also running on Frostbite which is arguably the most impressive graphics engine this gen anyway. Nothing in that gameplay footage looks that much different than what you'd see from an outdoor environment in SW:BF II, imo.

 

[VertigoOA]

I believe that gameplay shown last year was running on an Xbox One X. Either way went back and looked and the trailer and while it looks nice it's also running on Frostbite which is arguably the most impressive graphics engine this gen anyway. Nothing in that gameplay footage looks that much different than what you'd see from an outdoor environment in SW:BF II, imo.

Then there was a report that they haven’t even figured out the map layouts, what method to load zones in, etc... meaning ... the game was way too early at the point for that “gameplay” footage to be nothing more than some conceptual idea of what the game could be

 

[Sarah Rosario]

Desperately waiting for this game as this is the most anticipated game of mine

 

[GoldenEye98]

Then there was a report that they haven’t even figured out the map layouts, what method to load zones in, etc... meaning ... the game was way too early at the point for that “gameplay” footage to be nothing more than some conceptual idea of what the game could be

I'm just commenting purely on the graphics. Nothing of the gameplay footage from a graphics standpoint looked impossible for a Frostbite game on X.

 

[VectorVictor]

To be honest I don't think it would be too bad if MS bought EA's developers. They are a bit better as publishers than EA. IMO they are currently the worst.

It wouldn't be their developers, it would be EA as a whole. Then again, Madden (American) football locked to an American console does make sense in a lot of regards.

 

[NahaNago]

Then just simply don't do this, don't try to deceive us. Although I don't fully agree with you, because games now look much better than at the start of the gen.

Yeah, I wish they wouldn't do it as well. They really need to wait until the game is pretty much is coming out that year before showing it off. Maybe cg or animated trailers should be the way to go. They get to create some hype without disappointing folks with how the game will look or play.

 

[WaterAstro]

To be honest I don't think it would be too bad if MS bought EA's developers. They are a bit better as publishers than EA. IMO they are currently the worst.

Microsoft shuts down studios as much as EA does. They are definitely not better.

Worst is Konami btw.