Gaming

Anthem “Delayed” Until Early 2019, and That’s a Good Thing

Published

6 years ago

January 31, 2018

BioWare has been in hot water recently thanks to Mass Effect: Andromeda. In one fell swoop, the company has fallen from grace, and the recent announcement about the “delay” of BioWare’s upcoming title Anthem does not help the situation. However, every cloud has a silver lining, as does this news.

EA’s finance chief Blake Jorgensen recently informed Wall Street Journal journalist Sarah E. Needleman that EA is moving back the release date of Anthem from 2018 to “early 2019,” although Jorgensen claims this doesn’t counts as a delay. “People are trying to create a story,” explains Jorgensen. More importantly, he claims the later release date is not “due to development being behind schedule” as reported by sites such as Kotaku but instead a conscious decision to “get more attention [during] a quieter quarter.” Given that EA plans to release a new Battlefield game later this year, the delay actually makes sense.

The release date of a game can make or break its success. Gamers who have played Overwatch have likely heard about Battleborn, a game very similar to Overwatch that was released around the same time. Overwatch completely overshadowed Battleborn, which made the game sell poorly. Releasing Anthem during a “quieter quarter” when few big games are scheduled to release could easily help the game sell more copies, as it won’t have to go up against stiff competition such as Red Dead Redemption 2, Metro Exodus, or EA’s upcoming Battlefield game; nothing screams embarrassing more than having your game under-perform due to competition from another game you published.

While I disagree with Jorgensen’s claim that Anthem isn’t being delayed (the Cambridge, Merriam-Webster, and Oxford English Dictionaries all define a delay as the act of being postponed, slowed down, or late, which is exactly what is happening to Anthem), I don’t disagree with his reasoning. Moreover, pushing back Anthem‘s release a few months will give BioWare a chance to improve the game with a little extra polish. The company’s previous game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, was a dud. It released in a horrid state full of bugs, glitches, and amateurish character animations. Even if the game had launched without those problems, gamers still would have criticized Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s writing, characters, open worlds, and missions as being the worst in the franchise. Many gamers and critics have pointed out that Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s problems were the result of the BioWare Montreal branch’s inexperience and a short development period. Technically, Mass Effect: Andromeda was in development for five years, but the Montreal team started over from scratch so many times only a year and a half of work made it into the final product. Essentially, Mass Effect: Andromeda was rushed out the door by developers who simply didn’t have enough experience to make a good game.

While we don’t necessarily have to worry about inexperienced developers working on Anthem, if BioWare uses the extra months to make sure Anthem doesn’t suffer from the same glitches and bugs that plagued Mass Effect: Andromeda, I will gladly wait. First impressions are important, and even though Mass Effect: Andromeda is a decent game, the abysmal release state left a bad taste in many gamers’ mouths. As a new IP, Anthem can’t afford to leave a bad impression.

EA sits in the unenviable position of “game publisher gamers want to hate,” which is not good for its developers who just want to make good games. Gamers are already skeptical about EA and BioWare’s ability to deliver a good product with Anthem, especially since loot boxes will be included in the game; people have been wary of any game that uses loot boxes since EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 debacle, and now almost everyone expects EA to rush out and gut its upcoming games, including Anthem, for the sake of pushing loot boxes and microtransactions. BioWare faces an uphill, if not sisyphean, battle if it wants to convince people Anthem is a good game. The company needs to take its time to polish Anthem, and it will have this time thanks to the delay. However, if BioWare doesn’t make the most of these extra months and instead turns Anthem into “My Face is Tired 2: Electric Boogaloo,” I will probably lose all faith in the company.

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Gaming

Helldivers 2 has quickly become one of Sony’s top-selling games in the US

Published

2 days ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Helldivers 2 proved to be a surprising success, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the gaming industry. As per Circana analyst Mat Piscatella, it currently ranks as Sony’s seventh highest grossing game in the United States to date, trailing behind a trio of Spider-Man titles, a couple of God of War games, and Ghost of Tsushima. It’s only been on the market for less than three months and is not even being sold at full price.

According to Piscatella, a significant factor contributing to the game’s success is its release on PC. He mentioned that, based on Circana’s Player Engagement Tracker, the game has consistently ranked first in terms of active users on Steam in the US since its launch, including April. The release of Helldivers 2 on both PlayStation and PC has been an extraordinary triumph.

He stated that Helldivers 2 has already become the seventh highest-grossing Sony-published game in history. Without a PC, it would not currently be considered one of the top 20 games. While I’m emphasizing the success of the PC SKU, it’s important to note that I’m not disregarding the success of the PlayStation SKU. I just wanted to clarify that. This launch has proven to be incredibly successful.

Prior to the release of Helldivers 2, Sony made it clear that they would be launching their live service-style titles simultaneously on both the PS5 and PC. The success of this approach will undoubtedly strengthen their strategic vision. It will be intriguing to witness if the company reveals official sales figures in the near future, as the title appears to be one of the platform holder’s most successful sellers to date.

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Gaming

The developer of Stellar Blade for the PS5 Expressing gratitude to the fans for their unwavering support amidst a recent controversy surrounding censorship

Published

2 days ago

May 2, 2024

Zach Riley

Shift Up, the Korean developer, seems to be reconsidering its contentious alterations to the Stellar Blade outfit. In a message to fans, they have urged everyone to stay tuned for updates and expressed gratitude for the passionate feedback from players. For those who may not be aware, a petition gained significant attention over the weekend when gamers discovered changes made to a few of the game’s costumes through a day-one patch.

The launch day update includes a fantastic New Game + mode, but some players were disappointed by the changes made to protagonist Eve’s outfit. These alterations sparked debates about censorship. Director Hyung-Tae Kim later clarified that this was the studio’s original vision, but he acknowledged that it may require further persuasion to win over users. Internal discussions were also underway to address any concerns.

Thanks to all our Stellar Blade fans for your passion & feedback. Stay tuned for updates🤍 pic.twitter.com/jCRzM4OQBS

— StellarBlade (@StellarBlade) May 1, 2024

There is no definitive confirmation regarding the reversal of the outfits, but considering the language used in the statement and the widespread controversy surrounding the alterations, it is highly likely that a future patch will restore the original costumes. If you want to get a sneak peek at all of Eve’s different outfits and learn how to unlock them, be sure to take a look at our comprehensive guide, All Outfits and How to Get Them.

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Gaming

Will Stellar Blade be available for PC?

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Zach Riley

It’s quite possible. Fans all over the world are interested in Shift Up’s highly anticipated action-adventure game, Stellar Blade. With its captivating post-apocalyptic setting reminiscent of Nier and a compelling protagonist named Eve, it’s no wonder the game has generated such widespread attention.

The game consistently impresses with its stunning visuals and high-octane action, leaving players in awe with each new trailer.

Yet, just like other noteworthy second-party and third-party game releases, fans are pondering: Will Stellar Blade be available on PC?

In this article, we delve into the details to determine the platform availability of the highly anticipated title.

Will Stellar Blade be available on PC? Allow me to provide you with the answer.

Unfortunately, Stellar Blade will not be available on PC, at least not initially. Currently, the game is only available on PlayStation 5 starting on April 26, 2024.

Regrettably, it appears that there is no indication of a potential PC release for Stellar Blade in the future. In most cases, trailers for PlayStation timed-exclusive titles conclude with a disclaimer that specifies the duration of their exclusivity.

In the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launch trailer, it is explicitly stated that the game will only be accessible on other platforms starting on May 29, 2024.

Regrettably, when it comes to the stellar blade, there is no indication of such.

It’s important to note that Sony Entertainment Interactive published Stellar Blade, unlike Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. This means that the chances of it being released on PC or other platforms in the near future are even slimmer.

However, it is worth noting that there is a chance the game might be released on PC in the future, given PlayStation’s track record of bringing their exclusive titles to the platform. However, it could be a while before this comes to fruition.

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