Anthem was arguably one of the biggest failures this year in games, as many considered EA and Bioware's attempt at a live service looter-shooter a minor disaster. It launched with a heap of issues, from network errors, to crashing, to simply not being fun to play. While many had been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to fly around like Iron Man, Anthem simply failed to deliver the promised experience at launch. And while many games go on run events and add new content to win back burnt fans, Anthem players were unimpressed by the first event, Cataclysm, before it even began.

Fast forward a few months, and Anthem is much better off. It's fallen from Xbox's most popular game lists and can regularly be found for as little as $9.99 - a shocking sum for a game that released less than a year ago. However, it appears that EA is planning a major overhaul of Anthem, potentially giving it a much-needed breath of life. But gamers can be fickle, and it isn't often that they'll return to a game that felt bad to play at launch. So, is it even possible for Anthem to be saved?

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Yes and no. This wouldn't be the first time that EA has had to pull something like this. Star Wars Battlefront II faced a similar problem when it launched after loot boxes dominated the entire experience, leading to fan outcry and spurring many of the investigations into loot boxes happening today. But, after the outcry, EA pulled loot boxes, at least temporarily, and got to work adding content to the game. Battlefront II now is an entirely different game than the one that originally launched back in 2017. There have been numerous heroes, maps, and other types of content added to the game for free. And while loot boxes are once again present, EA reduced the time it took to unlock new cosmetic gear in the game, making the purchases feel much less necessary to yield a tangible reward.

anthem cataclysm missions

Battlefront II is now a really good game, all things considered. It still doesn't live up to the original Battlefront II in terms of how fans regard it, but the core gameplay is fun, it feels authentic to the Star Wars universe, and there's plenty to do. It's the perfect comeback story, or at least it would be if fans came back to it. Instead, the same jokes are made about it online to this day, and Star Wars Battlefront 3 isn't happening.

It seems more than likely that Anthem will suffer the same fate. Public perception is just, unfortunately, too negative to woo back the audience that's already been burned by it, unless it makes incredibly drastic changes not just to content, but to the entire experience, which would essentially mean less of an overhaul and more of a sequel. If Anthem keeps its bargain-bin pricing, it simply doesn't seem feasible for EA to go that in-depth in an overhaul.

There's something of a proverb in game design that says there only needs to be about thirty seconds of fun, and that thirty seconds can be stretched into as many hours as a game needs. That means that most games can get away with having a simple, fun, core gameplay loop. Of course, there's quite a bit more that goes on top of that, but that's the base of what a game needs to be "good". To Anthem's credit, it does feel satisfying to move, shoot, and use abilities. The core gameplay is satisfying, but there's a fair amount more that needs to be changed due to its nature as a looter shooter. For instance, the loot itself.

The easiest way for EA to save Anthem would be creating engaging and regular events. Fans do have the release of the Icetide event to look forward to, but it isn't the massive overhaul the game needs. The game needs more and better loot as a starting point, which is an area that it has struggled with since launch. Luckily, that's arguably one of the easier areas to improve. New weapons and armor can be added to existing pools, and would arguably be the best jumping-off point for an overhaul.

There are plenty of other game's that Anthem could learn from. In fact, Anthem could learn quite a bit from Destiny's growing pains since its launch. Looter shooters are now in a highly competitive field, especially as more games begin to introduce live service aspects. Anthem needs to act sooner rather than later to be saved, forcing it into an awkward position. Release something too fast, and it may retain many of its problems, release an overhaul too slowly and the field will get even more competitive.

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Either way, it may prove difficult for Anthem to find its footing in a bloated market. Luckily, it's accessible to the masses. It's now on EA Access, and its low price point may be enough to convince some to give it another try, if EA handles post-update marketing the right way. EA will have to be clear and focused if it has any chance of saving Anthem, and convincing the game's detractors to give it another try will prove to be a pretty massive challenge.

It doesn't seem entirely likely that Anthem will be saved, but stranger things have happened. No Man's Sky managed to make a comeback with tons of post-launch content and updates, but it was a long, arduous journey. EA and Bioware will have to put in a lot of work that may not have much of a payoff, but the company's dedication to the game is admirable. Time will tell how "Anthem 2.0" turns out, but hopefully, it's the change that the game needs.

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

MORE: Anthem Lead Producer is Leaving BioWare