E3 2017: BioWare Reveals New IP 'Anthem' at EA Play Event; To Release Next Year
One of the highlights of the Electronic Arts event, EA Play, over the weekend was the announcement of the newest intellectual property from BioWare called "Anthem" that will be released next year.
The game is still in development so gameplay details such as characters and game modes were not yet specified when it was presented at EA Play. However, EA is hoping to release "Anthem" before the company's 2017 fiscal year ends, which happens on March 2018.
While game details remain scarce at the moment, according to Polygon, EA CEO Andrew Wilson clarified during the Q&A portion of a previous investor conference call: "It's an action-adventure, not RPG."
However, this does not mean that "Anthem" will entirely drop the RPG aspect. On the same call, Wilson promised that the upcoming game will still feature "the great RPG character development and story progression that BioWare is known for."
Weeks before the E3 week and the EA Play event, many gamers had already speculated that a new BioWare IP would be part of the occasion, mostly because of a blog post published by BioWare official Aaryn Flynn last January.
In the said blog post, Flynn revealed: "In 2012, we began crafting a new universe full of new characters, stories, and gameplay. Our ambition is simple: Draw upon 20+ years of development knowledge and lessons to create something fun and new for you to enjoy with your friends."
During the presentation at the EA Play event, the company also released "Anthem's" first trailer. Judging from the video teaser, the game is in another open world setting.
It also introduced a massive wall that, according to the voiceover, is the protagonists' "armor that protects us from what lies beyond." It was followed by the appearance of a giant monster lurking around the forest open world.
The video then previewed what seems like soldiers in heavy and massive metal armor suits which signal a monster-chasing setup in the upcoming action-adventure game.
