Anthem is dead after the game's shutdown, but it doesn't have to be — lead dev reveals code for private servers exists, "there to be salvaged and recovered"

Javelins in Anthem.

Earlier this week, publisher Electronic Arts made the decision to shut down Anthem — its 2019 live-service, third-person shooter that revolved around customizing, exploring, and fighting in an armored Iron Man-style "Javelin" suit on a vibrant alien world. It's no longer playable across Xbox, Windows PC, and PlayStation as of January 12, as the servers have been taken offline permanently.

Players (and EA, too, I'm sure) had lofty expectations for Anthem, as it was built by Mass Effect and Dragon Age maker BioWare and showed a lot of promise. Despite its impressive visual fidelity and how fun it was to control its suits, though, Anthem would ultimately nosedive shortly after launch due to technical issues, an extremely underwhelming story, bland loot systems, and grindy, unrewarding gameplay loops.