Following the shutdown of Anthem's servers, former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah has pushed back against criticism that the studio should never have developed the game in the first place, arguing that innovation and evolution are fundamental to the studio’s history.

The details:

In a recent interview with YouTuber Destin Legarie, Darrah fired back at those who have argued that BioWare should’ve never developed Anthem in the first place and stuck to creating single-player RPGs, which make up much of its catalog. "I mean, by that argument, we should have never made Neverwinter Nights because we were a 2D RPG maker," he said. "We should never have made Mass Effect because we were a tactical RPG maker, not an action RPG maker. So, I don't know that that argument holds a lot of weight for me. Studios evolve, and they try new things. Was Anthem too big of a reach? Yeah, for sure. But could you tell at the time? I don't know. I don't know that you could."
The former executive acknowledged that while Anthem may have been "too big of a reach," it was difficult to determine that outcome at the time of development, and he questioned whether anyone could have accurately predicted the game's post-launch struggles prior to its release.
Darrah also somewhat defended publisher EA, stating that while the company certainly deserves[s] a bunch of blame for Anthem, the poor reception and decision to shut down the game’s servers is “not all their fault.”
Anthem launched in 2019 to mixed reviews, with many criticizing its weak gameplay, poor story, and always-online requirements. Due to the response and weak sales, BioWare scrapped its plans for future content updates, leaving the game to slowly fade into obscurity until EA made the decision to shut down its servers earlier this month, leaving it unplayable to all.

Watch the full interview here:

Former BioWare executive defends creating ill-fated live service title Anthem