Stock in publisher Electronic Arts plummeted today following a rumor that BioWare’s upcoming multiplayer shooter Anthem may not release until some point in 2019.
The stakes are high and the stocks are low as EA shares took a fall today following the rumor that Anthem would be delayed to release at some point in 2019, likely no later than March 2019.
The news broke earlier today in a Kotaku article about the state of BioWare, and EA stocks dropped shortly after. The article was published at 1:30 this afternoon, and the stock shot downward at 1:56, resulting in a drop of 2.6%. The release date for Anthem remains up in the air, but it is likely going to be out before the end of March 2019, as that is the end of EA’s fiscal year.
The delay could be in reaction to the controversy surrounding the state of Destiny 2 at the moment, since Anthem shares several similarities to Bungie’s contentious title. Destiny 2 developers have met backlash at every turn since the launch of the game. Recently, analysts reported that Activision may not be able to fix all the issues with Destiny 2, so it seems the team at BioWare is looking to avoid making the same mistakes.
BioWare is putting a large portion of its development staff to work on Anthem to ensure the title is a huge success that will be around for years after launch. BioWare’s developers are predominantly split among Star Wars: The Old Republic, Dragon Age 4, and Anthem, with the vast majority supposedly working on Anthem. With it being BioWare’s first new franchise in eight years, hopes are high for Anthem to succeed.
Anthem was revealed at E3 2017, and originally slated to release this fall, but supposedly the fall release window was unrealistic. A recent job listing showed that BioWare is still hiring staff to lead the Live Events team for Anthem, so it is clear that the studio is working diligently to ensure that this game lives up to the hype surrounding it.
The drop in stock is no surprise, as it happens quite frequently when it comes to game delays or other negative events surrounding a game. It isn’t even the first time EA’s stock has dropped. After the Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot box controversy, the stock plummeted even further than it did today. Hopefully, the delay will ensure that Anthem surpasses the ever-growing expectations of the community that follows it.
Anthem is set to release in 2019 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
