Former BioWare Producer Outlines $10 Million Plan to Revive Anthem as a Single-Player RPG

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Mark Darrah, a former producer at BioWare, has suggested a plan to completely rework Anthem into a single-player role-playing game, with a proposed budget of $10 million. This comes shortly after EA shut down the game’s online servers, potentially opening the door for a fresh start for the sci-fi title.

BioWare released Anthem in 2019 as a shared-world shooter featuring mech suits and ongoing live service updates. While the game initially looked impressive and had an interesting idea, it received mixed reviews and quickly lost players. Mark Darrah, who led the planned overhaul called Anthem Next (which was later cancelled), has consistently spoken positively about the game, particularly because players had been requesting an offline mode even before it was taken offline. His recent comments come shortly after EA shut down the game’s servers on January 12, 2026, making it impossible to play.

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In a new video called “The Truth About What Happened on Anthem,” Darrah detailed a plan to rebuild the game as a single-player experience, estimating it would cost around $10 million. This would require updating the game’s underlying technology to work well on newer consoles like the PlayStation 5 and the upcoming Switch 2, aiming for smooth performance at 60 frames per second and improved graphics. Because the game already had code for local servers, offline play is possible without EA’s help, which is especially encouraging given the hundreds of fans who have signed a petition to revive Anthem. The most challenging and expensive part of the plan would be creating AI companions to play alongside the player, replacing the original four-player mode and delivering the story-rich, character-driven experience BioWare is known for.

This wasn’t just about fixing technical problems; Darrah saw it as a chance to finally give players the single-player RPG they’d been hoping for. The plan was to focus on a compelling story, memorable characters, and player growth, moving away from the repetitive gameplay often found in online games. Essentially, he wanted to rebuild Anthem into the kind of immersive BioWare experience the studio was known for. Darrah also voiced support for the Stop Killing Games movement, suggesting publishers should be obligated to keep games playable in some way. Although he admits EA probably won’t adopt this approach, he believes reimagining the game for its original fans is Anthem’s best hope for a future.

Darrah’s idea to revive Anthem has excited many fans and those who want to save the game, but he doesn’t think EA will approve it – and that’s understandable. His $10 million plan goes against how Anthem was originally designed as a game that always needed an internet connection and ongoing updates. Considering the well-known reasons for Anthem’s failure – including problems during development and mismatched expectations – the game’s past continues to be a major obstacle. However, Darrah believes that by making it a single-player game and removing the need for official servers, Anthem could be successful again, much like No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077, which both recovered from difficult beginnings to become popular games.

Some people think it would be smarter to integrate Anthem into the Mass Effect universe rather than try to bring it back as its own game. Regardless of whether EA decides to do that, a recent video by a former BioWare employee has sparked a lot of discussion online about Anthem‘s lost potential and what game companies should do for players even after a game is discontinued. As more people focus on preserving video games and fondly remember ambitious projects that didn’t quite succeed, the idea of Anthem being reborn as a single-player RPG doesn’t seem so unlikely anymore. For now, it remains a fascinating possibility – and fans are hoping it can finally become a reality.

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2026-01-14 21:34