After an impressive showing at Electronic Arts' E3 2018 press conference yesterday, one of the biggest upcoming games on everyone’s mind isAnthem, the new original IP fromMass EffectandDragon Agedeveloper BioWare. Players have all kind of questions regardingAnthemand while many were answered at the conference, there are sill many being asked, like why is the new title beingreleased with no PVP mode? Well, it seems someone might have some answers.
Since the conference concluded, executive producer Mark Darrah has taken to Twitter to answer questions from fans regarding the new IP. During the Twitter Q&A, Darrah took the opportunity to explain why he shot down the notion of PVP inAnthem, explaining that ultimately it’s about game balancing. “No PvP.” Darrah explains “This decision allows us to have a much wider array of weapons and gear and makes the loot chase more interesting”
This announcement that the game lacks PvP play will come as a disappointment to many players. On the surface,Anthemseems like a perfect game for player versus player gameplay, full of interesting weapons,class system variety, and beautiful intricate maps. It seems so natural that when the game was announced last year, many had just assumed it would have PvP options similar toDestiny,but fans had gotten ahead of themselves.
Of course, the reason behind the decision does make a lot of sense.BioWarehas pushedAnthemas a single player experience and a lot of the focus is on making that element as strong as possible. By sacrificing PvP, balance for such modes is no longer an issue and Bioware can deliver a game with powerful weapons and loot to enjoy in the vast world.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it will never happen, it just means that PvP isn’t something BioWare is concerned with right now because it’s not the game they set out to make. At the end of the day, that’s all that can really be asked of a developer: set out to make the best version of the game.
Anthemwill be released on July 27, 2025 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
