Anthem released less than two weeks ago, and reviews haven’t exactly been the kindest. In our own, we criticized the game for its repetition and poor progression system, but PlayStation 4 players have reported an even worse issue: Their consoles shutting off entirely. Electronic Arts is aware of the issue, but the company doesn’t seem to actually know what is causing it.
“We are currently in [the] process of gathering information about the PS4 issues so we can determine the root cause,” EA community manager Matt Rivera in a post on the EA Answers site.
The post added that it was looking for specific information on the type of PlayStation 4 being used, the PlayStation Network ID of those affected, and the type of crash that occurred on the system.
Users subsequently flooded the thread with their person reports, and it doesn’t appear differences in PlayStation 4 models are to blame. PS4 Pro, PS4 “slim,” and the original PS4 console were all mentioned — in one case, a player said it affected a PS4 Pro and slim system at the same time.
Given the broad scope of EA’s inquiry into the issues plaguing PlayStation 4 systems, it seems unlikely that this issue will be resolved in a timely manner. However, there does appear to be a workaround that can get your console working again if it appears to be “bricked” by Anthem, and you won’t lose your game saves in the process.
Writing on Reddit, the user “katcher12” explained that they believe Anthem is corrupting the console’s file management system rather than rendering it completely useless. To fix this issue and access your data again, you need to boot your console in safe mode, which is done by holding the power button until it beeps twice. After doing this, you must select “rebuild database” and you should then be able to use the system again. This won’t erase any data, and a similar procedure is often done automatically when the PS4 performs a system update. From time to time, you can even try it if your system just happens to be running slowly.
Anthem is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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