Anthem's Definitive End: EA's Game Unplugged, One of Gaming's Biggest Wastes - Players For Life | Gaming News, Reviews & Creative Media Hub

Key Takeaways

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Anthems server shutdown on January 12 marked the end of the games online service, leaving player data, Freelancers, and gear inaccessible.
Despite its commercial and critical failure, the game fostered a dedicated player base that appreciated its visual design, especially the jungle, storms, and ruins.
The launch of Anthem in 2019 was troubled due to inconsistent leadership, lack of initial content, and an unclear creative vision.
In July 2025, Electronic Arts (EA) announced the permanent shutdown of Anthem, removing it from digital storefronts and thanking players.

Final Flight of Freelancers: Anthem’s Digital Sunset, Cherished Memories Live On

On January 12 at 7 PM French time, Electronic Arts (EA) shut down the servers for BioWare’s Anthem, ending the game’s online service without any formal announcement. Leading up to the shutdown, players gathered in-game and shared farewell messages, screenshots, and videos of their Freelancers in Javelins on the Anthem subreddit. Many posts referenced the game’s tagline, “Stronger Together,” alongside messages such as “It’s been an honor, Freelancers,” and “RIP Anthem 2019-2026.” Despite its commercial and critical failure, and its divergence from the initial E3 2017 reveal, Anthem fostered a dedicated player base that appreciated its visual design. Players often recall scenes such as flying over Coda’s jungle, storms, and plant-covered ruins as highlights. Some players had recently returned to experience these environments, pursue achievements, or revisit their characters. However, the server shutdown means that all player data, Freelancers, and gear are now inaccessible due to the absence of an offline mode.

Game’s Decline and Dissolve: Anthem’s Troubled Journey, Era Ends in July 2025

Although BioWare’s 2019 launch of Anthem aimed to deliver a leading multiplayer experience, the launch was troubled. Inconsistent leadership, a lack of initial content, and an unclear creative vision hampered the game’s reception. While the announcement of an Anthem 2.0 overhaul raised hopes, BioWare ultimately cancelled the revamp. EA announced the permanent shutdown in July 2025, removing the game from digital storefronts and thanking players.

In Case You Missed It

In a year filled with unexpected twists, we’ve seen our fair share of surprises in the gaming and entertainment worlds. Kicking off January was the sudden departure of Matt Firor, the long-time lead developer of The Elder Scrolls Online, after nearly two decades at ZeniMax. In an interview with Jonathan Dubinski Elder Scrolls Online Leader Departs Due to Microsoft, Firor opened up about his decision, citing Microsoft’s restructuring as the catalyst for his exit. Meanwhile, in the world of gaming hardware, Marcus Thompson’s latest analysis on Players for Life Xbox Endures Historic Collapse in UK with Worst Annual Sales Ever revealed a staggering 39% drop in Xbox sales in the UK, marking its sharpest decline yet. As we look ahead to next year’s cinematic lineup, Bruno Pferd has compiled an insightful list of the movies everyone wants to see These Are the 2026 Movies Everyone Wants to See. From Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy adaptation to Denis Villeneuve’s concluding chapter in the Dune series, Bruno takes us on a journey through time, highlighting the films that will dominate theaters in 2026. It’s shaping up to be an exciting year, filled with unexpected turns and thrilling entertainment!

Specification
Official Name	Groove Coaster: Initial Initial Echo Ego
Brief Summary	Touhou Project music DLC for Groove CoasterTitle: Initial Initial Echo EgoArtist: RD-Sounds*Arrange from Touhou ShinreibyouDifficulty: Simple 2 / Normal 5 / Hard 8BPM: 156
Genre	Music
Play Modes	Single player