End of an Era: BioWare’s Anthem Servers Shutting Down Permanently in January 2026
After years of struggling to find its footing, BioWare’s online-only action RPG, Anthem, is officially shutting down its servers. Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that the game will become permanently unplayable on January 12, 2026, nearly seven years after its ambitious launch.
Anthem first launched on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 22, 2019, to a mix of high expectations and mixed critical reception. Despite visually stunning graphics and innovative flying mechanics in its Javelin exosuits, the game was plagued by criticisms regarding its repetitive gameplay, lack of engaging endgame content, numerous bugs, and a disjointed story. While the game reportedly sold around 5 million copies by December 2023, it fell short of EA’s initial sales expectations of 6 million in its first few months.
The journey for Anthem has been a turbulent one. BioWare had initially planned a significant overhaul, codenamed “Anthem Next” or “Anthem 2.0,” in February 2020, aiming to address player feedback and re-invent core gameplay mechanics. However, these ambitious plans were ultimately canceled in February 2021, with BioWare stating that continuing development would place “undue stress on our teams.” Since then, the game has remained in a maintenance mode with minimal updates.
The impending shutdown means that players who own Anthem will no longer be able to access the game once the servers go offline, as it lacks an offline mode. In preparation for the shutdown, the sale of in-game premium currency was halted on July 3, 2025. Furthermore, Anthem will be removed from the EA Play subscription service on August 15, 2025. However, owners can still download and play the game until the final shutdown date.
EA has clarified that this closure will not result in any layoffs at BioWare, emphasizing that the game has simply reached the end of its lifecycle. The sunsetting of Anthem serves as another stark reminder of the challenges inherent in the live-service game model when initial reception falls short of expectations. For fans who enjoyed Anthem‘s unique combat and world, the coming months will be a final opportunity to dive back into Bastion before it goes dark forever.
