BioWare has announced plans to sunset online support for Anthem. On January 12, 2026, the cooperative sci-fi shooter’s servers will be shut down, rendering the online-only title completely unplayable.
In a blog post, BioWare states players can no longer purchase Anthem or its premium in-game currency as of today, but they can spend their remaining balance until the game goes offline. Anthem will also be removed from EA Play on August 15. However, those who have already purchased Anthem can still download and play the game until the January 12 shutdown.
“We deeply appreciate your dedication, passion and support over the years and we’d like to thank you for that,” BioWare says in the blog post.
BioWare also states that it has not laid off any staff as a result of the sunsetting process.
This news marks the end of a long and tumultuous road for the maligned shooter. First revealed in promising fashion during E3 2017, Anthem centered on players, called Freelancers, suiting up in powerful mech suits called Javelins to defend humanity on a hostile alien world. Up to three players teamed up to tackle missions in an online-only campaign, while improving their Javelin via RPG-style progression. Anthem launched in a deeply flawed state in February 2019, resulting in a tepid reception from critics and players, including a 7 out of 10 from Game Informer.
Chief complaints centered on the game’s thin content and buggy gameplay, with many players feeling the game felt unfinished. Anthem’s troubled development would later be revealed in reports, such as how it largely came together during the year before release despite being in formal development since 2012. In October 2020, BioWare announced a massive overhaul called Anthem 2.0, designed to salvage and improve the experience. However, this update was canceled in February 2021 as BioWare shifted resources towards the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the next Mass Effect.
Have you kept up with Anthem over the years, or do you plan to dive back in before the servers are shut down? Let us know in the comments.
