Anthem revealed that it is removing the Acts structure for updates. Instead, seasonal updates will be implemented moving forward. This was confirmed by none other than BioWare Head of Live Service Chad Robertson.
In a statement, Robertson said that BioWare continues to be excited by the fact that the Cataclysm event has resulted in an increase in the game's player engagement. Robertson added that the response and support was the reason why the team continued to work improving Anthem.
Players who were part of the Public Test Server gave valuable feedback that resulted in the changes made to the game. Robertson said that they are going to continue leveraging the PTS for future updates. The changes made for Cataclysm based on the community input included:
- Combat balancing improvements
- Adjustments for minor-to-major crystal economy
- Additional types of reward crates, providing more player choice
- UX tips in load screens to better explain Cataclysm mechanics
- Final Score Banners to show how much score was gained from playing on higher difficulties
Given the core issues that continue to plague Anthem, Robertson said that more work is still needed. The system needed a more thorough review along with re-working, which was better compared to quick fixes. Back in April, Anthem sad that it was delaying major content released as it attempted to fix the game. By this time, the number of players had been decreasing. A month later, players started to complain that they were facing matchmaking problems. It was a surprise to many when BioWare released the Cataclysm event.
In relation to the upcoming change to seasonal updates, this was done to address long-term plans. Robertson revealed that future events will deliver challenges and changes to what players have already seen. In addition, these are going to be built around fun themes.
Anthem has long been losing players and it is unlikely that these planned changes are going to reverse that. However, for those who already have the game, this transparency could work in their favor. Indeed, Robertson confirmed that they are now going to be more transparent given that they understand more work is needed in order to make Anthem even better.
