Anthem Is “Science Fantasy” Like Star Wars, Not Hard Sci-Fi Like Mass Effect Says BioWare

At E3 2017 BioWare finally unveiled Anthem, their new sci-fi RPG with touches of Destiny, Horizon Zero Dawn and Xenoblade Chronicles X. The game looked impressive, but some questioned – why isn't this a Mass Effect game? Yeah, BioWare probably doesn't want to use that name following the troubled release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, but setting that aside, what sets Anthem apart from past BioWare sci-fi RPGs?

Well, in an interview with Canada's CBC, BioWare boss Aaryn Flynn explained that Anthem is actually more fantasy than sci-fi in some ways, comparing the game to Star Wars…

"It's in a genre we call science fantasy, very much like Star Wars, very much like the Marvel Universe. You see a lot of amazing things happening but we don't worry too much about why they are happening or how they are happening, or the science of it. By comparison, Mass Effect is more a real hardcore science fiction IP. Anthem is much more about just having fun in a game world that is really lush and exotic and really sucks you in."

I'm not sure how "hard sci-if" Mass Effect really was, there was still plenty of silly stuff in there, but I'm definitely up for a more story-driven, purely imaginative sci-fi RPG from BioWare. Obviously, they have plenty of experience with that sort of thing, having made Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. This also strengthens the Destiny comparisons, as Bungie's MMO has also sold itself as a "mythic" fantasy-infused sci-fi tale.

Anthem, which was previously known by the codename Dylan, was first announced by BioWare in vague terms at E3 2014, and fully unveiled at this year's show. Unfortunately, we won't be playing the game for a while – EA and BioWare have announced the game won't be coming out until their next fiscal year, which means the game could come out as late as March 2019, although a holiday 2018 release is more likely.

Keep up with WWG's latest Anthem coverage, right here.

[via Eurogamer]