After a ton of drama and scuttlebutt stemming from a report from Kotaku about the state of BioWare and Anthem , EA has finally confirmed that Anthem will not be making its initial 2018 release window. While this is hardly surprising, what’s really interesting is the “he said, she said” over the reason for the delay. While many suspected development issues brought on by EA’s Frostbite engine and Anthem ’s massive scope, EA claims it has more to do with release timing than anything else.
In speaking to the Wall Street Journal, EA’s finance chief, Blake Jorgensen, said that the release date change is “not a delay.” While that seems like an odd word choice considering this is literally a delay, Jorgensen likely means it isn’t a delay in the sense that anything is wrong with the development.
Jorgensen says that the “delay” is due to EA wanting to move the release date in favor of the 2018 Battlefield game in development. The intent being that the later months of the year are more appropriate for established IP, while a “quieter” month would be more suitable for something new like Anthem. As such, Anthem is now set for early 2019.
Make of this as you will, but there’s no doubt a lot is hinging on Anthem ’s performance.
Source: Sarah Needleman via Twitter