Mark Darrah Defends BioWare’s Anthem Experiment and Reflects on Studio Evolution

Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah, who spent over two decades at BioWare shaping iconic RPGs, recently addressed the studio’s ambitious—and ultimately unsuccessful—venture into the looter-shooter genre with Anthem.

Challenging the “One-Genre” Narrative

In an interview with Destin Legarie reflecting on Anthem’s recent server shutdown, Darrah responded to persistent criticism that emerged around launch. He noted how many critics resurfaced to declare: “See, I told you so” and “BioWare should have never made Anthem because they are a single-player RPG maker.”

He countered this perspective firmly: “My feeling is that BioWare’s always been changing.” Citing the studio’s history of successful reinvention, he observed: “By that argument, we should have never made Neverwinter Nights because we were a 2D RPG maker. We should never have made Mass Effect because we were a tactical RPG maker—not an action RPG maker.”

Darrah emphasized that evolution is inherent to creative studios: “Studios evolve and they try new things. Was Anthem too big of a reach? Yeah, for sure. But could you tell at the time? I don’t know. I don’t know that you could.”

Accountability Beyond EA

Regarding external pressures, Darrah acknowledged EA’s role without absolving internal responsibility: “It’s easy to blame EA—and certainly they deserve a bunch of blame for Anthem—but it’s not all their fault.”

The End of Anthem and Broader Industry Implications

Anthem officially concluded this week with its permanent server shutdown—a move that reignited advocacy from the Stop Killing Games initiative. The group reiterated its core principle: “You as the customer should have the final say as to when you’re done with a game, not the company.”

What Might Have Been: Anthem Next

Looking ahead, Darrah revealed that the canceled Anthem Next reboot “could have been” a transformative recovery—drawing comparison to No Man’s Sky’s celebrated turnaround. Though unrealized, the vision reflected BioWare’s ongoing commitment to learning, adapting, and reimagining its creative future.