BioWare has had a nearly flawless track record when it comes to creating excellent action-RPGs, but the key word there is "nearly." Every once in a while, BioWare can deliver a game that doesn't quite live up to the hype, or the monumental expectations placed on it. 2019's Anthem is perhaps the best example of this. Designed to be a live-service, ever-evolving multiplayer RPG, Anthem had so much promise, but the game was ultimately dead on arrival. However, that hasn't stopped some die-hard fans from sticking it out and continuing to spend time with the game.

Launched in February 2019, Anthem was an almost immediate failure. After an embarrassing beta with technical issues galore, Anthem's imminent launch seemed like a disaster just waiting to happen, and that turned out to be pretty true. Though Anthem's Iron Man-like mech suit gameplay was innovative and fun, that gameplay loop soon became repetitive, with little enemy variety throughout the bloated game. Throw on some more technical issues and Anthem's player-base dropped faster than a man trying to fly in a suit actually made of iron. But rather surprisingly, Anthem's servers are still up, and some players aren't done just yet.

RELATED: Anthem’s Javelins Offered Something No Other Game Has

Is Anthem Still Active in 2022?

Anthem Javelin Group

Much to the surprise of probably everyone, Anthem is indeed still active in 2022. Not only have BioWare and EA kept the servers active, but according to some live statistic websites, Anthem often has around 10-20,000 players a day. This may not be anywhere close to the figures Anthem experienced on launch, but it's still impressive for a game that has been abandoned by its community, and its developers.

Of course, BioWare and EA had much grander plans for Anthem. Before launch, BioWare used every opportunity it could to remind fans that Anthem was a true BioWare RPG, just in a multiplayer environment, with live-service features. Back in 2019, the term "live-service" was a lot more controversial than it is now. While Fortnite was showing the rest of the industry how it was done, there had been too many high-profile live-service failures for the general gaming public to get on board with the approach, especially when BioWare is loved most for its single-player, narrative-driven adventures.

In an attempt to make its own Destiny, BioWare alienated its usual audience, but it failed to bring in newcomers as well. The main gimmick and selling point of Anthem was its mech suits, but rather than focus on that in the pre-release material, BioWare often focused on the game's story, which was full of convoluted Sci-Fi technobabble. Naturally, this put off more casual gamers, and Anthem lost both sides of its target audience before it had even come out. Anthem was supposed to last for years, but it only ended up surviving two, with EA and BioWare officially pulling the plug on the game back in February 2021.

While EA and BioWare have stopped updating the game, players can still try out Anthem, with its servers remaining live. But before jumping in and suiting up, potential players should be aware that Anthem still suffers from most of the same bugs that have been present since launch day. Players will still find themselves phasing through scenery, being locked in unskippable cinematics, having to listen to bugged-out repeating dialogue, and suffering a variety of different crashes. But if they are willing to look past that, then Anthem's pretty enjoyable but repetitive gameplay is waiting for them.

Anthem is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

MORE: Iron Man Game Tier List