Last week it came to light that EA has been granted a patent that would allow it to use matchmaking in order to keep players engaged for longer and, potentially, sell them more microtransactions. Many feared that the technology would be used in upcoming sci-fi RPG Anthem as that game is being published by EA too.
On Reddit, one fan warned others off the game, suggesting that EA could "adjust difficulty on the fly" or pair players "with players we have no business being paired with" as part of the patent.
This strategy, often called dynamic difficulty adjustment, is designed to make players feel a certain way and can involve letting AI cheat or boosting AI stats in order to give players a more significant challenge. This seems to fit in with what EA's patent does and so it's understandable why many were concerned.
The conversation saw Anthem's technical design director Brenon Holmes get involved. In a succinct reply, Holmes said that "I'm not sure where this is really coming from... we're not doing any of that though." Holmes also added a concerned/awkward emoji face for good measure.
Reading between the lines, Holmes' reply seems to suggest that Anthem will not use the EA patent at all. The research paper that the patent is based on does confirm that EA and its research team has already tested the technology in an EA-published game, but fans will be glad to know that it's not going to touch this upcoming title at least.
There are still ongoing conversations about the game's business model, though. It is not yet known whether Anthem will feature loot boxes like so many other EA-published games (including Star Wars Battlefront 2 and the FIFA franchise). According to previous comments by Holmes, BioWare is still discussing microtransactions and how they might be included in the game.
Additional comments from Holmes in the Reddit thread suggest that fans will be hearing more about Anthem fairly soon. Asked whether new information or gameplay footage will be revealed before spring/summer, Holmes responded with "outlook good."
It's unclear whether that new information or gameplay will offer any clarity about the game's business model and whether BioWare has made a decision on loot boxes. However, fans will be delighted to hear more about the hotly anticipated game either way, so watch this space.
Anthem is currently scheduled to release sometime in the fall of 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.