EA has confirmed that BioWare's Anthem will permanently shut down on January 12, 2026.
Since the game relies entirely on online functionality, it will become completely inaccessible after this date.
Premium currency sales ended today (July 3), though players can continue spending existing balances until shutdown. The title will be delisted from EA Play on August 15, 2025, though existing owners can still download and play until the final termination.
Originally launched in February 2019 to mixed reviews (including IGN's 6.5/10 score), Anthem faced criticism for repetitive gameplay, technical issues, and an inconsistent narrative. While the game reached 5 million sales by December 2023, this remained below EA's initial target of 6 million sales within months of launch. Following ongoing updates, EA halted active development in February 2021, with the game director departing shortly after.
In an official FAQ, EA confirmed no staff reductions resulted specifically from this shutdown decision. This news provides some reassurance amid EA's broader restructuring - the publisher has implemented severe workforce reductions in recent years.
Recent cuts include May 2025's closure of Cliffhanger Games (cancelation of its Black Panther project with undisclosed layoffs) alongside enforcing company-wide office returns. Just prior in April 2025, roughly 300 positions were eliminated. Earlier in 2025, BioWare underwent restructuring that reassigned some Anthem developers while letting others go.
This follows 2024's major reorganization (670 company-wide layoffs) and 2023's reductions (50+ at BioWare, undisclosed numbers at Codemasters). With Dragon Age: The Veilguard's commercial disappointment, BioWare now concentrates entirely on Mass Effect 5 development.
