Anthem Producer on Customization Options and Lack of Romance

With roughly seven months to go until release, BioWare still has plenty left to reveal about Anthem. Gameplay footage, and bits of news concerning story and choice, romance or a lack thereof, and endgame plans denote the most notable details, thus far. But executive producer Mark Darrah often responds to fan questions on Twitter, offering more insight into what players should expect.

Recent answers from Darrah tease customization options. Out of the box on day one, Rangers are the first Javelins players will unlock. Others, such as the Colossus, subsequently become available “through missions.” As far as giving Javelins a unique look, color schemes are swapable. However, “no fully [customizable] designs” will appear at launch. For this revelation, Darrah adds a note that “[BioWare] can’t police that.”

The producer briefly talks about BioWare’s decision to not include romance options for Anthem. Darrah first responds to a question of whether romance will factor in by saying the focus is more geared towards “relationships that are universal.” He expounds in the following tweet:

I guess this is a super confusing answer.

Let’s try:

We want people that everyone can have a deep interaction with that are locked out because of a different relationship you are in https://t.co/2enSPtkzep

— Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) July 9, 2018

His main point suggests that the focus on universal relationships crafts characters that all players can befriend. Mass Effect may offer one example. Players who romance Tali get to know her more personally than those that only befriend the quarian. Contrarily, with Anthem, every player has just as much of a chance to build deep connections with a character as other players.

Additional tidbits from Darrah’s Twitter feed reveals that there’s currently no word on cross-save options between console and PC. He also answers a question regarding single-player. If players choose to go solo, AI partners will not join the mix. The same is true of The Division; however, some missions feature AI players that drop in to offer assistance. Time will tell whether Anthem takes a similar route.

BioWare’s next title hits PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 22, 2019.

[Source: Mark Darrah’s Twitter]