Anthem, BioWare’s looter-shooter published by EA, is officially shutting down its services in early 2026.
Since its release in February 2019, Anthem has certainly fought an uphill battle. Born from the acclaimed creators of Dragon Age and the publisher behind Battlefield, the game initially captivated audiences with its stunning E3 trailer, showcasing Iron Man-esque Javelin exosuit flight and combat. Expectations soared high for its launch.
However, the euphoria was short-lived.
Poor performance and a surprising lack of RPG depth from a studio renowned for the genre, left players feeling deceived. The mandatory online login and strict server issues, especially for PS4 and Xbox users with high ping, further soured the experience and led to frustrating rubberbanding.
Content woes also became a major sticking point. For an entire year, Anthem practically lacked a clear roadmap. Its only significant end-game content, Cataclysm, was initially time-gated but eventually became a permanent event due to repetitive grinding. There were no new missions, no new bosses, and certainly no new Javelin classes introduced.
Persistent public pressure eventually forced BioWare to attempt a course correction, even promising a massive overhaul leading up to Anthem’s first anniversary.
Unfortunately, this promise, too, ended in disappointment.
Exactly one year later, in February 2021, BioWare announced that the Anthem overhaul project had been canceled. The reason was clear: EA declined to provide financial backing, preferring BioWare to focus on Dragon Age 4 (now Dragon Age: Veilguard). From that point on, Anthem effectively went into a “comatose” – its servers remained active with microtransactions, but without any further support or new content.
In early July 2025, after nearly five years, EA finally made a statement regarding Anthem. EA will be sunsetting Anthem on January 12, 2026. This means that the game will still be playable online for the next 180+ days. As of today, we can no longer purchase in-game premium currency, but we can still use your remaining balance until the servers go offline.
Despite its ultimate demise, Anthem does leave a legacy for similar games that followed. Titles with comparable mechanics, such as Outriders, Exoprimal, and The First Descendant, appear to have drawn inspiration from it. However, their fates have often mirrored Anthem’s own struggles. Outriders also conceded defeat after its The Worldslayer expansion, Exoprimal became one of Capcom’s emptiest releases, and The First Descendant recently shut down its servers for PS4 and Xbox.
So long and goodbye, Anthem (2019-2026). May the Freelancers finally find peace.