‘Destiny 2:’ Bungie’s Flawed Title Might Be Beaten By ‘Anthem,’ If EA Can Avoid Another ‘Battlefront 2’ Fiasco

Bungie’s Destiny 2 will have stiff competition in 2018 coming from Bioware’s Anthem, which will be published by EA. Destiny 2 players are eager to learn if Bioware will provide decent content for their sci-fi loot-shooter. Meanwhile, gamers and business analysts wonder if EA can avoid the same microtransaction debacle it experienced in Star Wars: Battlefront 2 with Anthem.

Bungie’s Destiny 2 vs. Bioware’s Anthem

The Verge describes Anthem as one of the most anticipated games in 2018. According to Digital Trends, minor excitement for the game started when Bioware released its first teaser trailer at EA Play 2017.

Business Insider has called Anthem the next Destiny 2. Indeed, Bioware’s concept for the game has been compared to Destiny 2 since Bungie’s game and Anthem fit in the same category and share a similar theme.

Like Destiny 2, Anthem is an online multiplayer loot-shooter with role-playing features. The worlds the games are set in also seem quite similar. Both Bungie and Bioware set their loot-shooter games in a seemingly post-apocalyptic high-tech world.

Similar to Destiny 2’s Guardians, Anthem’s fanbase will play the game as Freelancers whose job is to protect humankind and chart the unknown world in the game. Anthem players will be able to customize their exosuits — called Javelins — like gamers in Destiny 2.

BioWare Testing Anthem in VR? https://t.co/Tlpc3pdBx5 pic.twitter.com/QWyEiab4y5

— Game Rant (@GameRant) December 16, 2017

While the similarities between Destiny 2 and Anthem are numerous, it is important to note that Bioware is not finished developing the game. So, gamers can expect more similarities or differences to come out as Anthem’s release date nears.

So far, however, gamers seem very impressed by Anthem— mostly because of the open sci-fi world featured in the teaser trailer. At first glance, Bioware appears to be creating a well-developed open-world for Anthem which gamers can freely explore together with their friends.

Based on a thread in the Xbox One subreddit, though, gamers are reserving their comments and opinions for when the game is released. For now, however, it appears that players firmly believe that Anthem’s end game will be the deciding factor on whether it will succeed or fail.

“Looks good. Let’s play the game first then we will see,” wrote u/BillAdama8.

“Just as it was with [The Division.] The end game will make or break the franchise,” commented u/blidside on the Reddit thread.

“Until we learn more, all this is just pure speculation. Just stay excited about Anthem, then wait for more to be revealed. [It’s] way too premature to say anything beyond the one trailer and gameplay reveal that we’ve seen,” said u/saiditlol.

Bioware And EA May Not Avoid SWBII’s Loot Box Disgrace With Anthem

By now, EA’s big mistake with its monetary system in Star Wars: Battlefront II is well-known. Now, microtransactions in most games, especially AAA titles—like Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2—are being scrutinized.

Since Anthem will be a direct competitor for games like Destiny 2 and The Division, gamers and business analysts are wondering if EA will make the same mistake again. According to Forbes contributor Paul Tassi, microtransactions in Anthem are inevitable.

Currently, Star Wars: Battlefront II still has a version of EA’s loot crate system. The games publisher seems adamant on keeping its monetization model in place—even if gamers have started to boycott its games. It appears that EA has chosen to try and improve the monetary system instead of removing it altogether.

EA is expected to launch Anthem by the fall of 2018, which gives Bioware plenty of time to develop the open-world loot-shooter fully. It would seem that Bioware has a lot of ground to cover to make up for Destiny 2‘s disappointing end game and Battlefront 2‘s disgraceful loot box system.