History YMMV / Anthem2019

** The VIP Demo. While most people who played it agreed that the mechanics were quite solid and fun, quite a few were put off by the bugs and glitches in the demo, as well as subpar performance, and major server issues that prevented a significant number of people from logging in for quite some time. The fact that it was advertised as a demo of the finished game and not an in-progress beta made many people concerned, as the game was scheduled for release not even a month later, that the game would face a rough launch. [=BioWare=] assured people that the demo build was six weeks out of date and missing quite a few of the bug fixes (and even features) that would be present in the final game. [[BlatentLies They lied]].

** Unfortunately, any hype for the game was hampered due to the performance of past [=BioWare=] and EA games. For example, the SoOkayItsAverage but fairly disappointing ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' tarnished the [=BioWare=] brand name in the eyes of many fans, even though the game was technically developed by their less-competent Montreal branch (and its WideOpenSandbox and fluid character movement were the spiritual predecessors to this game). Additionally, the lootbox debacle over ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefrontII2017'' has led many fans to cynically predict EA will find a way to ruin ''Anthem'' with lootboxes and microtransactions.
** The VIP Demo. While most people who played it agreed that the mechanics were quite solid and fun, quite a few were put off by the bugs and glitches in the demo, as well as subpar performance, and major server issues that prevented a significant number of people from logging in for quite some time. The fact that it was advertised as a demo of the finished game and not an in-progress beta made many people concerned, as the game was scheduled for release not even a month later, that the game would face a rough launch. [=BioWare=] assured people that the demo build was six weeks out of date and missing quite a few of the bug fixes (and even features) that are present in the final game, but some still remain unconvinced.

** "Don't say ''Destiny''!"[[labelnote:Explanation]]The game has come under fire for repeating a lot of mistakes made by ''{{VideoGame/Destiny}}'' and ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' in their own early days. Jason Schrier's article (see above) noted that higher-ups in [=BioWare=] forbade employees from talking about or even mentioning the name of ''Destiny'', leading to a cavalcade of rookie mistakes like unsatisfying loot and confusing menus... because employees couldn't draw upon ''Destiny'''s example for gameplay, good or bad.[[/labelnote]]

* {{Misblamed}}: Many fans are quick to blame Electronic Arts for everything wrong with ''Anthem'', given how the publisher is widely hated for its divisive monetization schemes. However, the issue is a bit more complex according to a Kotaku insider report. EA did mandate the use of Frostbite engine, which wasn't meant to work for [=RPGs=], and didn't provide much technical support. However, EA also provided 6 years of development time, which is more than double that of industry standards, and it was [=BioWare=] who was responsible for the poor management and bad creative decisions like the employee burnout. Importantly, it was [=BioWare=], not EA, who wanted the game to be an online multiplayer game and not a single player [=RPG=]. In short, while EA didn't give the right tools for [=BioWare=] and seemed hands-off to a fault, many of the bad decisions rested almost entirely on [=BioWare=]'s shoulders. Ironically, EA's real error was being entirely too ''lenient'' towards [=BioWare=] -- actual ExecutiveMeddling, as they were formerly accused of doing, probably would have saved the game (or at least saved years worth of time and tens of millions of dollars).

** The "Bioware Magic"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Apparently, a factor in the rushed state of ''Anthem'' and the horrors suffered by the developers during the tumultuous production of the game was [=BioWare=] management's belief in the "Bioware Magic," where the developers would experience an ''insane'' amount of crunch yet somehow someway produce a brilliant game at the end of it all. After the disastrous release of ''Anthem'', many have outright stated that the magic is gone.[[/labelnote]]

* TheScrappy: Prospero for constantly talking about how it “doesn’t matter how good you are unless you look good” and existing solely to hype up the games {{Microtransactions}} store.

* HarsherInHindsight: Anthem's CreationMyth being that the world was abandoned by its Gods before it was finished ended up matching what happened with the games development after it was released as an ObviousBeta and the promised 2.0 overhaul was cancelled in 2021.

* WinTheCrowd:
** Many fans were pleased with the amount of open communication between the developers and fans on the official ''Anthem'' subreddit, especially after Creator/{{Bungie}}'s famous (and much maligned) silence and lack of transparency with ''Destiny 2'' -- although a later [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 article on Kotaku]] revealed that developers weren't being as open as they seemed...
** The Announcement that ''Battlefield V'' wouldn't contain any lootboxes, all microtransactions would be direct-purchase, strictly cosmetic and earnable through gameplay; coupled with the announcement that all of its future DLC would be free made quite a few people optimistic that ''Anthem'' would follow a similar monetization model. Mark Darrah seemingly confirmed this at EA's 2018 E3 show, claiming there will be cosmetic items for sale and the players will always know what they're getting before they buy it. He flat-out said there will be no loot boxes for sale, neither will there be anything that provides advantages in combat. He also confirmed through Twitter that there would be no paid story expansions. He didn't rule out paid DLC entirely but did say that any story expansions would be made free to everyone.
** The 2018 Game Awards trailer showcased the world of Anthem, personal stakes, and the main villain's motivation and goals. For many fans, the trailer's emphasis on story is a reassurance that [=BioWare=] hasn't forgotten its roots.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNaLyycPN0 Loot System Livestream]] enticed a lot of people who are looking for a loot system with more depth and complexity compared to something like Destiny.
** In response to some complaints (and issues) in the [=VIP=] Demo, all players who played the demo will be issued an additional promotional 'vinyl' pattern for customization when the full game goes live, and the ability to unlock all three alternate Javelins in the demo as an immediate benefit. The latter was largely due to a rather serious bug (or combination of bugs) which also prevented players from unlocking their ''first'' alternate Javelin, but is also obviously aimed at those who wanted to try all four.