Jason Schreier - BioWare Plans A Complete Overhaul for Anthem

[Garlador]

It. Doesn't. Matter. How much you say what Anthem is not. A good game is a good game, and if Bioware, a company who still have a lot of pull, pull it off people will come back.

Click to shrink...

Even GOOD games come out and fail to succeed. A good game is not a guarantee of long-term success. I've seen countless critically acclaimed or fan-loved franchises die because they didn't meet their sales goals or hit the right numbers. That's true even of games that were once popular franchises with strong fan support going in.

And I would agree with you about Bioware if this was the Bioware of 10 years back.

But that is NOT the Bioware of today.

This isn't a Bioware coming off of KOTOR or Mass Effect or Dragon Age. This is a Bioware that has had setback after setback after setback. This is a Bioware that lost dozens of its key founding members. This is a Bioware that has been fending off criticism and disappointed fan reception for nearly 9 years straight. This is a Bioware that EA got their mitts on and so much of their original cultural identity has been weathered away.

This is a Bioware that puts important lore and party members behind day-1 paywalls. A Bioware that misled many fans about the nature of Mass Effect 3's ending. A Bioware that rushed out Dragon Age 2 and heavily neutered their RPG mechanics. A Bioware those own developers regret winning GOTY for Dragon Age: Inquisition because it was so unenjoyable to work on that game and they felt that validated EA's decision to tell them to keep doing what they were doing. Also all the wasted time and resources put into the multiplayer mode that nobody cared for or played. It's a Bioware in a post-Andromeda and post-Anthem world.

BIOWARE as you knew it and loved it doesn't exist anymore.

That's fine. A new group can do great things too, but that's not been the case now for many, many, MANY years.

Can Bioware "come back"? Sure. Anything is possible. Capcom was proof of that in recent years.

But it'll take more than a fixed version of Anthem for that to happen. Even if Anthem was 100% playable and even enjoyable, regaining interest is an uphill battle. I've lost that interest. I don't care. There are better, more interesting games on the horizon, and I'm someone who bought EVERY Bioware game (and the collector's editions at that) day 1 since Neverwinter Nights until Inquisition.

Bioware has lost more die-fans than it has gained in the last decade. Like Capcom, it'll probably take more than a few good games for those jaded fans to warm back up to them. The impetus is on Bioware to over-deliver. The fanbase really hasn't stuck around to see if they'll do so.

We got games like Outer Worlds and Greedfall scratching the Bioware-itch harder than Bioware themselves these days.

 

[White Glint]

It's a worthless me-too shlooter in an already saturated market.

Comparisons with Siege (completely unique 5v5 game), FFXIV (a mainline Final Fantasy released at a time when Square really couldn't afford a mainline Final Fantasy to fail) and No Man's Sky (a game upon whos shoulders rested a small studio's livelihood) are not really apt.

 

[JamRock7]

Speak for yourself

Click to shrink...

Spoiler

and im being generous

 

[astro]

Even GOOD games come out and fail to succeed. A good game is not a guarantee of long-term success. I've seen countless critically acclaimed or fan-loved franchises die because they didn't meet their sales goals or hit the right numbers.

And I would agree with you about Bioware if this was the Bioware of 10 years back.

But that is NOT the Bioware of today.

This isn't a Bioware coming off of KOTOR or Mass Effect or Dragon Age. This is a Bioware that has had setback after setback after setback. This is a Bioware that lost dozens of its key founding members. This is a Bioware that has been fending off criticism and disappointed fan reception for nearly 9 years straight. This is a Bioware that EA got their mitts on and so much of their original cultural identity has been weathered away.

This is a Bioware that puts important lore and party members behind day-1 paywalls. A Bioware that misled many fans about the nature of Mass Effect 3's ending. A Bioware that rushed out Dragon Age 2 and heavily neutered their RPG mechanics. A Bioware those own developers regret winning GOTY for Dragon Age: Inquisition because it was so unenjoyable to work on that game and they felt that validated EA's decision to tell them to keep doing what they were doing. Also all the wasted time and resources put into the multiplayer mode that nobody cared for or played. It's a Bioware in a post-Andromeda and post-Anthem world.

BIOWARE as you knew it and loved it doesn't exist anymore.

That's fine. A new group can do great things too, but that's not been the case now for many, many, MANY years.

Can Bioware "come back"? Sure. Anything is possible. Capcom was proof of that in recent years.

But it'll take more than a fixed version of Anthem for that to happen. Even if Anthem was 100% playable and even enjoyable, regaining interest is an uphill battle. I've lost that interest. I don't care. There are better, more interesting games on the horizon, and I'm someone who bought EVERY Bioware game (and the collector's editions at that) day 1 since Neverwinter Nights until Inquisition.

Bioware has lost more die-fans than it has gained in the last decade. Like Capcom, it'll probably take more than a few good games for those jaded fans to warm back up to them. The impetus is on Bioware to over-deliver. The fanbase really hasn't stuck around to see if they'll do so.

We got games like Outer Worlds and Greedfall scratching the Bioware-itch harder than Bioware themselves these days.

Click to shrink...

Bioware have fans and pull.
They also have legacy, and a good game form them will make waves.
If they create something good from this, people will come back.

Will they manage to create something truly good, with enough people who believe it? Time will tell.

 

[Dougieflesh]

It. Doesn't. Matter. How much you say what Anthem is not. A good game is a good game, and if Bioware, a company who still have a lot of pull, pull it off people will come back.


1. You cannot speak for everyone.
2. Bioware still have pull, if they do this right it will succeed.

Click to shrink...

Bioware absolutely does not have "a lot of pull" at this present moment. Anthem is absolutely a dead IP.

 

[devSin]

This is good, they are standing by their customers.

Click to shrink...

Doubtful.

They're standing by their investment. They need Anthem to be one of their pillars because they don't have anything else right now (they can't just keep pumping out DA and ME).

It has to be a hit if they expect to ever be taken seriously outside the BioWare-style RPG genre (that genre doesn't have the numbers to sustain and grow the business the way EA obviously wants).

 

[jviggy43]

Spoiler

and im being generous

Click to shrink...

The game's twitch population was under 200 in less than two weeks and people in here acting like theres hundreds of thousands of people sitting around waiting for this to be rebuilt.

Speak for yourself

Click to shrink...

They are, and they shouldn't.

Love how posters like then are conveniently ignoring the positive and supportive posts ITT, too.

Click to shrink...

Can't wait to come back to this.

 

[Catvoca]

I didn't play the game when it launched because I've been expecting a big overhaul to fix it into something good. Hope they can pull it off.

 

[Alexious]

The part about further segmenting the map is very worrying, though. The last thing this game needs is more loading screens...

 

[kirbyfan407]

This report aligns to a lot of what the team and company has been saying. I wish we could have more details on what is changing, but I guess I'll have to be patient for that.

trying to pull a FF14 huh

relaunch in time for next gen launch?

Click to shrink...

I'm thinking we get updates on current gen versions over the next 2 years, but the final push and rebranding will come from a next-gen relaunch that starts clean(er) with version 2.0 in 2021.

The part about further segmenting the map is very worrying, though. The last thing this game needs is more loading screens...

Click to shrink...

I agree. That part didn't sit well with me. My ideal vision of the game is something that lets you go from Ft. Tarsis to the world map to a cave system all without noticeable loading. Especially if we get this game on PS5/Scarlett, I would hope we'd see more open exploration.

 

[astro]

Bioware absolutely does not have "a lot of pull" at this present moment. Anthem is absolutely a dead IP.

Click to shrink...

Yes they do, sorry that offends you somehow but they have more than enough that if they release and actual good version of this game it will make waves.

 

[USF]

I would like to see this happen

 

[Pryme]

Jesus Christ LET IT DIE AND PUT EVERYBODY ON MASS EFFECT OR DRAGON AGE

Click to shrink...

Selfish thinking, given the fact that people paid $60 for this.

Imagine if 343i had abandoned the Master Chief Collection. Would that have been a better outcome than what owners have today?

 

[Tayaya]

The game really shouldn't have been GaaS in the first place. It should have been a flying version of Vanquish. Flying around and and hovershooting and using verticality is such a blast in this game.

Unfortunately I don't think any work that they do is going to give those mechanics the campaign that they deserve.

Click to shrink...

Could not agree more. Even with the launch issues and all of the other things people were complaining about (some valid, some gamer-entitlement things), I couldn't help but love my time with anthem simply because moving around in the game world felt so GOOD. Being able to move so freely and easily opened up a lot of options in combat, and most of the time the encounter areas were designed with that in mind. I always felt like a damned hero when I'd use my mobility to narrowly escape after getting heavily damaged, and then hit back with a well timed super move. And the classes all felt different from one another and encouraged me to try them all out. The game had a lot going for it, and I really did like it enough to put up with the problems. I only quit because the rest of my group went back to Destiny 2, and so I did too.

If it can pull a FF XIV I'll be back there day one!

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

They better rename it and it better be f2p

 

[Garlador]

Yes they do, sorry that offends you somehow but they have more than enough that if they release and actual good version of this game it will make waves.

Click to shrink...

The skepticism is warranted.

Bioware didn't have "enough pull" to salvage Andromeda, and that was a better received game in a more beloved franchise.

 

[astro]

The skepticism is warranted.

Bioware didn't have "enough pull" to salvage Andromeda, and that was a better received game in a more beloved franchise.

Click to shrink...

Not saying it isn't.

They have pull though, if they release a good game it will do extremely well and their legacy and brand has a lot to do with that. They need to prove themselves again though, don't get me wrong.

 

[BobbyRawlins]

pffft, anthem is never coming back. its not gonna have some grand rebirth. yall people arguing for a shambling corpse.

 

[astro]

pffft, anthem is never coming back. its not gonna have some grand rebirth. yall people arguing for a shambling corpse.

Click to shrink...

Time will tell, this thread will be fun if they manage it though.

 

[NoTime]

Just re-release Shepard trilogy already.

 

[Asbsand]

Look, I know BioWare lost a lot of their legendary staff, but all things considered they still have people like Casey Hudson, Derek Watts and other actually intelligent people who did great work as directors and taste-critics for their company.

How on earth don't they realize that the ship sailed? My guess is that it's just EA insisting that Anthem has "Destiny potential" without saying Destiny because apparently both they and BioWare agree that it is not a "Destiny".

On the contrary, they had Mark Darrah helming Anthem... but he's supposed to be on DA4 now. No offense to him, he's surely good as a development/talent manager but he often comes across as clueless to me in interviews like when he said "Anthem isn't a 'Destiny'" to Game Informer or dumb claims like "GTA V is also roleplaying, because you have stats and you are playing a role." and also blameshifting Andromeda's issues to "It got low reviews because Zelda came out alongside it."

 

[Garlador]

Not saying it isn't.

They have pull though, if they release a good game it will do extremely well and their legacy and brand has a lot to do with that. They need to prove themselves again though, don't get me wrong.

Click to shrink...

I feel like I'm coming across as cynical, because I DO miss the old Bioware and want Bioware to make a good game. I don't want Anthem to be this stain on their legacy (among other recent blemishes), and I've already said in the past that FF14 showed me any game can turn things around (I once proudly declared the game was doomed and fixing it was a fool's errand, only for it to become one of my favorite games of all time).

The part that... worries me... is that the Bioware quality you remember, and the fanbase they accumulated back then, is not really around anymore. The last time Bioware will have released a universally beloved game was 2010. By the time Anthem Next gets out, two console generations will have passed. Entire generations of game players have grown up without a new quality Bioware product. The kids that will be playing the next Bioware game may not have even been born when Bioware's golden age was kicking off.

The older fans have drifted away and the newer fans have no brand loyalty. They'll chase whatever the next Fortnite or Minecraft catches their attention. Maybe Bioware will make that for them, maybe not.

But the days of Bioware as a legacy brand to buy into sight unseen are long gone.

 

[astro]

I feel like I'm coming across as cynical, because I DO miss the old Bioware and want Bioware to make a good game. I don't want Anthem to be this stain on their legacy (among other recent blemishes), and I've already said in the past that FF14 showed me any game can turn things around (I once proudly declared the game was doomed and fixing it was a fool's errand, only for it to become one of my favorite games of all time).

The part that... worries me... is that the Bioware quality you remember, and the fanbase they accumulated back then, is not really around anymore. The last time Bioware will have released a universally beloved game was 2010. By the time Anthem Next gets out, two console generations will have passed. Entire generations of game players have grown up without a new quality Bioware product. The kids that will be playing the next Bioware game may not have even been born when Bioware's golden age was in kicking off.

The older fans have drifted away and the newer fans have no brand loyalty. They'll chase whatever the next Fortnite or Minecraft catches their attention. Maybe Bioware will make that for them, maybe not.

But the days of Bioware as a legacy brand to buy into sight unseen are long gone.

Click to shrink...

All it will take is a single game that shines from them and people will flock back, and their legacy will have a lot to do with that. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe for some of you.

Of course, will they be able? They haven't shown any signs of it, so cynicism is definitely warranted... but if they do manage it, if they make a game that is proven to be good via reviews, footage, and impressions... people will come back. That's guaranteed, imo.

 

[Deleted member 49535]

I don't understand why they'd do this. Just make Mass Effect 4.

 

[Gamer @ Heart]

Some of you need to remember.

14 being recreated, not rebooted, took square enix 3 years and an enormous team which crippled their out put.

Wrapping some actually decent objectives, goals, and loot system around the existing anthem wrapper is not on that level.

 

[spacer]

I don't understand why they'd do this. Just make Mass Effect 4.

Click to shrink...

Thankfully, they've already started. Unfortunately, the lead producer for Anthem is also the lead producer for the next Mass Effect game. I'd start tempering your expectations.

 

[Asbsand]

BioWare, meanwhile, is still invested in role-playing games. In addition to the much-anticipated Dragon Age 4, which BioWare teased last year, a new Mass Effect game is in very early development at the Edmonton office under director Mike Gamble, a longtime BioWare producer.

Click to shrink...

Obviously, just trust anything Shreier says, but to add to the credibility of this news, I also said a while ago that I had seen Gamble had been promoted to project director - the same role as Casey Hudson in ME1 - and it all adds up now. He did tease the fact that he was doing Mass Effect related concepting a few months ago on Twitter.

People may remember Gamble as part of the "Bungling of Andromeda" since he was its product owner, but he also was very much the director of Lair of the Shadow Broker in many ways, which is beloved content.

Regarding the aftermath of Andromeda he did say this recently


For what it's worth.

 

[Cyanity]

If they come out with a genuinely good game and market it correctly, people will come. Only time will tell, though.

 

[Landford]

"They're even considering releasing Anthem Next as a brand new game, although those who work on the project said that could take a lot of forms (and it's unlikely they'll charge full-price to Anthem players). "

Just imagine if they try to sell this to people who bought the fiasco. The shitstorm will be immense.

 

[Witness]

I love a good comeback story and I wish bioware luck. I like the world so I hope they can make a good game in it.

 

[Asbsand]

Thankfully, they've already started. Unfortunately, the lead producer for Anthem is also the lead producer for the next Mass Effect game. I'd start tempering your expectations.

Click to shrink...

Mike Gamble was lead producer on Mass Effect Andromeda for almost 5 years, and as it shipped Anthem had about a year left to get developed before EA cut their final deadline. He was hitting the ground running and as soon as Anthem shipped he moved on to other projects. He really was just a replacement "Lead Producer" of sorts. You could say he was the producer of production, with little to no involvement about Anthem's concept, because he was on board with the Montreal team way back in 2013 as soon as ME3 Citadel shipped.

 

[Garlador]

All it will take is a single game that shines from them and people will flock back, and their legacy will have a lot to do with that. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe for some of you.

Of course, will they be able? They haven't shown any signs of it, so cynicism is definitely warranted... but if they do manage it, if they make a game that is proven to be good via reviews, footage, and impressions... people will come back. That's guaranteed, imo.

Click to shrink...

Again, not to be cynical, because I want to agree with you - truly I do - but I've watched good games try this and fail. I've seen games much better than Anthem fail. A good game is, of course, good, but it's not an automatic means of success. Great games fail all the time through no fault of their own. Battleborn was better. It's dead. EVOLVE was heavily supported and many players agree it became legit great by the end, and it's now dead. Lawbreakers was better. Its quality didn't attract a sustainable community. Etc.

Making a good game is the bare essential thing that needs to happen, and that's no guarantee of long-term sustainable success. Many of the games you even think are successful were sales disappointments. Division 2 was well received and sold millions and Ubisoft cited it as a major underperformer and sales disappointment, regardless of its quality and improvements.

As you said, Bioware has shown us absolutely nothing yet to inspire confidence. There's no reason to be inspired yet. The ball is in their court, but it's entirely practical to be disappointed and cynical until evidence comes out to challenge that.

 

[komaruR]

No Man's Sky did it
FF14 did it
Halo MCC did it

Yes, this game can do it

Click to shrink...

wait mcc did it? i thought the mp was still bad

 

[astro]

Again, not to be cynical, because I want to agree with you - truly I do - but I've watched good games try this and fail. I've seen games much better than Anthem fail. A good game is, of course, good, but it's not an automatic means of success. Great games fail all the time through no fault of their own. Battleborn was better. It's dead. EVOLVE was heavily supported and many players agree it became legit great by the end, and it's now dead. Lawbreakers was better. Its quality didn't attract a sustainable community. Etc.

Making a good game is the bare essential thing that needs to happen, and that's no guarantee of long-term sustainable success. Many of the games you even think are successful were sales disappointments. Division 2 was well received and sold millions and Ubisoft cited it as a major underperformer and sales disappointment, regardless of its quality and improvements.

Click to shrink...

Battleborn was not considered that good, and that was a common opinion imo. When I say a "good game" I mean one that has consensus, which is possible. A game on Battleborne's level will not be enough here.

 

[Indy in the Fridge]

Boy is that incorrect. Destiny launched without a campaign.

Click to shrink...

I really need you to come back and explain how Destiny didn't have a campaign at launch. What mental gymnastics led you to believe this falsehood?

 

[Cyklik]

All it will take is a single game that shines from them and people will flock back, and their legacy will have a lot to do with that. I don't understand why this is so hard to believe for some of you.

Of course, will they be able? They haven't shown any signs of it, so cynicism is definitely warranted... but if they do manage it, if they make a game that is proven to be good via reviews, footage, and impressions... people will come back. That's guaranteed, imo.

Click to shrink...

The part that is difficult to believe isn't that people would enjoy a good game from BioWare. The part that people have a hard time believing is that present-day BioWare is capable of making a good game.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

I mean if they think they can do it, why not? Game has a number of good concepts worth being part of a good game and should be salvaged.

 

[Deleted member 23381]

Seems like a waste of everyone's time and resources but okay.

 

[astro]

The part that is difficult to believe isn't that people would enjoy a good game from BioWare. The part that people have a hard time believing is that present-day BioWare is capable of making a good game.

Click to shrink...

I mean obviously, and I get the cynicism. I'm not sure I have that faith either, but if they do it people will come back.

 

[Spasm]

I went back to this a couple of weeks ago to get some quick achievements for Microsoft Rewards and it bummed me out immensely cause I absolutely love the core gameplay, but everything that surrounds that is pure shit. I would love for them to fix it, but I'm not even sure how it would be possible.

 

[Bit_Reactor]

if they make a game that is proven to be good via reviews, footage, and impressions... people will come back. That's guaranteed, imo.

Click to shrink...

Aside from the interviews closer to release day this is actually my problem with the release cycle from AAA companies.

People like myself called Anthem being bull from the first tech demo, and we got shit on constantly for it. Then the game shows next to nothing (just like Andromeda I might add) and people still don't believe it and Journalists and outlets can't really speak negatively of it because the minute they do they lose ad revenue and/or coverage credentials (anyone who still somehow believes blacklisting doesn't happen in the industry if journos don't play ball is fooling themselves).

So what we usually get is an entrenched hype cycle leading up to something's release, with maybe a 12-48 hour window of critique from multiple outlets, and then blind buying into something that showed a "Vertical slice" that isn't even gameplay, and then people are expected to make actually informed buyer's decisions from this clearly edited and controlled information.

The hype cycle for Anthem and other games is usually a bunch of people telling anyone who are critical of something that they're either wrong or biased, and every time something turns south people are quick to exit the conversation and/or try to defend it because they put money down on it. The idea that Bioware and EA could ask for more money at all for Anthem, (much like the FO76 debacle) and consumers be happy about giving them a second chance to make the game they should have made in the first place, and then knowing that they will get nothing but "positive" or neutral info prior to release where they have to wait for players to find all the problems, is what I think is wrong with the modern GAAS cycle.

GAAS is genius from a money making perspective. You can't review all of endgame in a small window of time, you can monetize it at any point, most people won't know what they bought into until long after the refund window is open, and even if you get a refund for the game they still would have kept anything you spent outside of the initial purchase. Consumers have little ability to make informed decisions without waiting weeks after a game's release, and these pubs are weaponizing FOMO to ensure sales.

I know I sound super cynical, but the idea that people are even up for being fooled a second time (third if you count Andromeda) shows me people really don't have any self worth for their dollars and time. But I know even if they fail again people will be up for being fooled again for the sake of brand recognition. So I'm just an old man yelling at clouds I suppose.

 

[Ralemont]

The part that is difficult to believe isn't that people would enjoy a good game from BioWare. The part that people have a hard time believing is that present-day BioWare is capable of making a good game.

Click to shrink...

Andromeda is a good game. It just disappoints considering it's coming from BioWare.

 

[GymWolf86]

 

[Asbsand]

I love a good comeback story and I wish bioware luck. I like the world so I hope they can make a good game in it.

Click to shrink...

We're only seeing the start of BioWare under Casey's leadership really. He was dealing with the aftermath of the project-crunch left to finish from Aaryn's last years at the company, and the first big thing he laid in motion for the team was the move to the new office in the centre of Edmonton, which they just moved into recently, and there seems to be a lot of positivity around that clean break.

And I can't help but think he's refocusing the studio on more specific ideas. He mentioned the idea of "Mass Effect short films" too, which, if you imagine it, a series of ME2-DLC sized contents that are lower budget, narrower scope and releasing somewhat frequently (like maybe per year). It's just an idea but I think he's a much more creatively focused GM than Aaryn was and I hope that pays off for them. His credit and his status among a lot of old BioWare was that he was the everything-man who pulled together a clear vision for the whole team to follow, and that sounds exactly like what Anthem hadn't... because Casey left midway xD

I think he felt the burn over ME3's ending, understandably, but I hope him and others at BioWare have moved on and think about what possibilities they can open up, even within the trilogy's framework and less about "How do we avoid the criticism?" which would only dig the hole deeper, and cause their creative ideas to suffer (Andromeda).

I think despite being bad at it, Mac Walters showing up in a video actually talking about the content of ME3's ending for like the first time ever, in a public "to the fans" fashion, is good messaging. Maybe something that shows we've moved on as they have too.

 

[Deleted member 29682]

Seen a lot of impressive turnarounds on some games which landed badly in the past few years, this seems ambitious but we'll see how it goes.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Anthem is such an impressive-looking game, I can barely believe that it's such a poor experience.

It breaks my heart to see so many resources and so much time poured into a floundering product.

 

[Asbsand]

Andromeda is a good game. It just disappoints considering it's coming from BioWare.

Click to shrink...

I think if it had been polished and if they had the time (5 years.. I know (it's longer than ME1!)) to revise the script two times over they would've made it a solid entry. The worst thing I can say about it from a writing POV is that it's too much The Force Awakens of Mass Effect, and that would not have changed but The Force Awakens is still a competently made sequel as would Andromeda have been to Mass Effect in a more polished state.

First impressions can mean everything. Most players that stuck through the cringe-curve and beat the game said it was a lot better than the criticism suggests, and I also agree. It's a 7/10 but if the voice work, writing and animations hadn't been production-rushed in 18 months (due to their horrible vision prior to the last 18 months) it would've been a fine game.

 

[RedSparrows]

I don't give a fuck what Era thinks about influence or relevance or whatever, if they fix it up good and I try it and I like it, ace. If not, that's a shame.

 

[Lowrys]

If you think Anthem was shit at launch, have u played FFXIV 1.0?

Click to shrink...

No, fortunately I guess.

 

[astro]

Aside from the interviews closer to release day this is actually my problem with the release cycle from AAA companies.

People like myself called Anthem being bull from the first tech demo, and we got shit on constantly for it. Then the game shows next to nothing (just like Andromeda I might add) and people still don't believe it and Journalists and outlets can't really speak negatively of it because the minute they do they lose ad revenue and/or coverage credentials (anyone who still somehow believes blacklisting doesn't happen in the industry if journos don't play ball is fooling themselves).

So what we usually get is an entrenched hype cycle leading up to something's release, with maybe a 12-48 hour window of critique from multiple outlets, and then blind buying into something that showed a "Vertical slice" that isn't even gameplay, and then people are expected to make actually informed buyer's decisions from this clearly edited and controlled information.

The hype cycle for Anthem and other games is usually a bunch of people telling anyone who are critical of something that they're either wrong or biased, and every time something turns south people are quick to exit the conversation and/or try to defend it because they put money down on it. The idea that Bioware and EA could ask for more money at all for Anthem, (much like the FO76 debacle) and consumers be happy about giving them a second chance to make the game they should have made in the first place, and then knowing that they will get nothing but "positive" or neutral info prior to release where they have to wait for players to find all the problems, is what I think is wrong with the modern GAAS cycle.

GAAS is genius from a money making perspective. You can't review all of endgame in a small window of time, you can monetize it at any point, most people won't know what they bought into until long after the refund window is open, and even if you get a refund for the game they still would have kept anything you spent outside of the initial purchase. Consumers have little ability to make informed decisions without waiting weeks after a game's release, and these pubs are weaponizing FOMO to ensure sales.

I know I sound super cynical, but the idea that people are even up for being fooled a second time (third if you count Andromeda) shows me people really don't have any self worth for their dollars and time.

Click to shrink...

Calling Anthem bull from the first demo wasn't well said now we have hindsight, it was rightly called out then.

The idea that journalists can't speak negatively or they lose avenue is not true either. look at coverage of Death Stranding, it was all over the place in previews and reviews.

You're overall assement is, imo, inaccurate, but I do agree with you that there are inherent flaws with GaaS that have proven themselves more than once. However, suggesting that players are too stupid (which is the jist of your comment there) to understand the risks of these games is pretty obnoxious dude, we all know the risks and value our dollars and time. Sometimes it works out, some times it doesn't. Too many games have pulled back from the brink, some games have returned to roaring success after vast overhauls, and there are plenty of strong and fair GasS types around.