BioWare Says 'Anthem' Launch Was "Rougher Than Expected" In New Message To Fans

BioWare general manager Casey Hudson took to BioWare's blog this morning to pen a new, post-launch message to fans that more or less addresses the current state of Anthem, explains where BioWare is at on the game right now, and also admits to the title's rough launch and apologizes for it.

"It's been a wild ride these last few weeks," begins the post. "On the one hand it's been a rougher launch than expected. But then as I think back we also knew that big new online games tend to hit some kind of problem once they go live, so as much as we tested and prepared to make sure everything was ready, we were also ready for the possibility that unexpected issues might arise at launch. And we continue to be committed to responding to them.

Hudson continues:

"We launched a game that so many of you tell us is really fun at its core, but we also had a degree of issues that did not reveal themselves until we were operating at the scale of millions of players. We were of course very disappointed about that, as were many of you. I've been in there playing with you since those early days (I'm a Ranger in Edmonton Oilers colors!) and it makes me sad to hear about any issues that would hold someone back from fully enjoying the game. I take that very personally, and it's been our top priority to get improvements out to you in the fastest, safest way."

The BioWare general manager notes that the Live team has been working hard on the game since launch, and has issued out over 200 improvements to the game via updates and patches. Hudson also makes a note that the team is listening to feedback about the game's progression and endgame, and that more improvements to these areas (and more) are coming soon. But also, the beloved BioWare employee points out that this is a learning experience for the team, which has never shipped a game of this type.

"We also continue to listen to your feedback, with more improvements to endgame loot and progression, game flow, and stability and performance coming soon – so there's a lot more work that we intend to do," writes Hudson. "This is all a learning experience for us, and as we work to make sure the game is improved and perfected, we can't emphasize enough how much we appreciate you staying with us. Especially because the next stage is where things really get exciting."

Some of this exciting content Hudson teases will be a series of world events, new story content, and new features that all build towards Cataclysm, which is hitting this spring.

"We understand there is skepticism out there," adds Hudson. "We hear the criticisms and doubts. But we'll keep going anyway, working hard every day on Anthem – an ever-changing world, constantly improving and growing, and supported well into the future by our team of passionate developers.

"With Anthem we're trying something a little different than we've done before. And likewise our upcoming games will be different from Anthem. But with everything we do, we focus on staying true to our mission, creating worlds that inspire you to become the hero of your own story. So what's most important to us is you, the players who have supported us in this journey. And we're excited to prove that with Anthem, the best is yet to come."

Anthem is available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more coverage on the looter-shooter, click here.