Strong alone, stronger together once more?
As Anthem disappears from players’ libraries following its server shutdown, a former BioWare lead has shared an interesting detail about the game’s development that never made it into the public conversation at launch.
Mark Darrah, who worked as an executive producer on Anthem and departed BioWare in 2020, says the game had functioning local server code in place during development. He disclosed the information during a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, where he revisited the project’s troubled production from start to finish.
“Anthem actually had the code for local servers running in a dev environment right up until a few months up to launch,” Darrah said. While he cautioned that the code may no longer function as intended, he noted that it still exists and could theoretically be recovered.
The claim arrives just days after EA ended support for Anthem on 12 January, citing the ongoing cost of maintaining servers as the reason the game could no longer remain playable. The game's shutdown was initially announced in July 2025.
The multiplayer shooter could have been reshaped into a solo BioWare-style RPG
During the video, Darrah outlined how Anthem could have been reworked instead of being shut down. His proposal involved removing its online components and repositioning the game as a standalone, single-player experience.
He estimated that such a project would require a budget of around US$10 million. The initial work would focus on technical updates, including bringing the game to current-generation platforms, unlocking higher-end PC settings, and targeting a stable 60fps. From there, local servers would replace EA-hosted infrastructure, removing the need for live service support.
Darrah said the next step would be to move the game in a different creative direction. “Pivot to something that's more about single-player storytelling,” he said.
Rather than multiplayer squads, players would be accompanied by AI teammates. Darrah suggested that while existing characters could be adapted, introducing three to five new companions might be more efficient. These characters would feature full dialogue and narrative arcs, travelling with players through Anthem’s existing campaign.
He explained that the writing itself would not be the difficult part, but that integrating companions into gameplay systems would require the bulk of the work. Even so, Darrah argued that the result would be immediately recognisable to BioWare fans.
“What you've essentially re-engineered is a BioWare game,” he said, describing a single-player title built from Anthem’s foundations, complete with companions and a stronger narrative focus, though without romance systems. He added that while it wouldn’t command a premium price, it could function as a new single-player release.
Darrah was blunt about the chances of it ever happening. “Is EA going to do this?” he asked. “Almost definitely not.”
The full video traces Anthem’s history from its early concepts in the early 2010s to its 2019 release, highlighting a project that struggled to settle on a clear identity. While the game is now offline for good, Darrah’s comments suggest that its shutdown was not the only possible outcome.
