Dragon Age Veteran Reflects on Anthem’s Lasting Impact on Game Developers’ Careers

BioWare’s looter shooter Anthem has officially met its end, and reflecting on its journey, the executive producer admits uncertainty about whether he or the studio ever truly recovered from it.

While Anthem was never hailed as a masterpiece—often regarded as merely average—many fans mourned its shutdown, believing it had untapped potential that ultimately went unfulfilled.

Mark Darrah, the executive producer who also played a key role in the Dragon Age series, has been candid about the game’s troubled development. He previously revealed that just months before its release, the team was aiming for a Metacritic score in the 70s, a stark contrast to BioWare’s typical goal of hitting the 90s. He now expresses concern that the game “did permanent damage to the careers of a lot of game devs.”

In a detailed video released on the day of Anthem’s closure, Darrah stated, “To be honest, I’m not sure that I came back from Anthem. I think that’s true of a lot of people.” He elaborated, noting that Anthem negatively impacted the mental health of many developers and that some of BioWare’s recent challenges can be traced back to this period. “I don’t think Anthem is 100% to blame for everything that’s happened since 2019, but definitely there are seeds of damage that continue to grow from that point onwards.”

Since Anthem’s launch, the only new title released by BioWare (excluding the Mass Effect Legendary Edition) has been Dragon Age: The Veilguard. However, Veilguard’s development faced its own hurdles; it was initially titled Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and even explored a multiplayer concept that ultimately didn’t materialize. Unfortunately, its sales fell short of expectations, leading EA’s Andrew Wilson to conclude that despite a “high-quality launch,” the game “did not resonate with a broad enough audience in this highly competitive market.”

Currently, BioWare is focused on a new Mass Effect installment, informally referred to as Mass Effect 5. Details remain scarce, and it’s unclear how long fans will have to wait for its release.

In contrast to EA hits like Battlefield 4 and The Sims 4, which were given the chance to recover from rocky launches due to their established status, Anthem’s potential for success was never guaranteed.