Anthem Servers Shutting Down Permanently on January 12
▼ Summary
– Electronic Arts announced it will shut down Anthem’s servers on January 12, 2026, though players can still access the game until then.
– As of the announcement, players can no longer purchase in-game premium currency but can use existing balances until shutdown.
– Anthem remains playable via EA Play or PC Game Pass but will be removed from EA Play on August 15, 2025.
– EA confirmed the shutdown did not result in layoffs, despite BioWare’s reported downsizing and industry challenges.
– Anthem was designed as an online-only game, meaning it will become completely unplayable once servers go offline.
The Anthem servers will permanently shut down on January 12, 2026, marking the final chapter for BioWare’s troubled looter shooter. While the game has lingered online since its official cancellation in 2021, Electronic Arts confirmed today that its remaining functionality will soon disappear. Players have until the shutdown date to use any remaining in-game currency, though new purchases are no longer available.
For those who haven’t thought about Anthem in years, the news might come as a surprise, the servers have quietly stayed active, allowing die-hard fans to keep playing. If nostalgia strikes, the game remains accessible through EA Play, though it will vanish from the subscription service on August 15. PC Game Pass subscribers can also access it, but without an active membership, revisiting Anthem’s flying mechanics and unfinished potential won’t be an option.
EA’s FAQ clarifies that offline play was never part of the design, meaning the game will become completely unplayable once the servers go dark. This decision adds fuel to ongoing debates about preserving always-online titles, a growing concern for preservationists and players alike.
Interestingly, EA emphasized that the shutdown hasn’t resulted in layoffs, a curious detail that highlights broader industry struggles. BioWare, already reduced to a skeleton crew, won’t face further cuts, but the statement feels like an attempt to soften the blow of yet another abandoned live-service experiment.
Anthem’s legacy is complicated. Its fluid flight mechanics and vibrant world showed flashes of brilliance, but mismanagement and rushed development doomed it from the start. While a hypothetical “Anthem 2.0” could have refined these ideas, EA’s withdrawal sealed its fate. Now, players have less than two years to log in one last time before the servers fade into gaming history.
(Source: PCGAMER)
