The latest update for Anthem is available, and while there are some significant changes that enhance the gameplay, it also brings along some unfortunate news. According to Reddit, the BioWare development team behind the online shooter has delayed additional features that were in the works as part of the road map for Act 1.
The post reveals that the team has been focusing more on squashing bugs and enhancing the game flow than developing the new features that were supposed to arrive as part of Act 1. The delayed features include a Mastery system, guilds, Legendary Missions – Phase II, weekly Stronghold challenges, leaderboards, and some new freeplay events. The team is also putting a hold on Anthem’s first Cataclysm, which was originally planned for May. Beyond the tweaks in Anthem version 1.1.0, the team is also changing how it communicates future plans for the game.
“A lesson we have learned is we have been talking about things too early,” the Reddit post reads. “There are so many factors that can cause us to pivot on our plans – whether it’s bugs [and] stability issues, player feedback, or complications with a feature that require us to take more time to deliver it. Our goal is to tell you about new content and features once the work is closer to being done.
The Anthem team also wants to provide additional avenues for feedback, so the team will be introducing the Player Feedback Environment (PFE) in the near future. It will be exclusive to PC users at first.
It’s not the first time that the developers have used Anthem’s upcoming Cataclysm as a major point of focus when speaking on potential updates for the game. Considering the scope of Cataclysms, which are to be world events that set the pace for Anthem’s road map at various intervals, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team was internally planning to use the experience as a means to assess Anthem’s future. Delaying it makes sense considering the game isn’t in the place the developers want it to be, and it could be a solid measuring stick for player retention and returns once everything is in place.
