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Anthem, the 2019-released online multiplayer action role-playing game, is about to end its journey early in 2026. EA and BioWare bet everything on its development. It took resources from Mass Effect: Andromeda and impacted the making of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite these efforts, it fell short of commercial expectations.
The developers may have disappointed gamers, but Anthem still has a loyal fan base. When EA announced that the game would be going offline next year, dedicated players began to protest. A growing online petition called "Save Anthem" has already gathered hundreds of signatures, urging Electronic Arts to maintain the live-service game before its servers shut down.
The popular game is going offline on January 12, 2026, effectively making it obsolete. In the official announcement, BioWare straightforwardly mentioned, “Anthem was designed to be an online-only title, so once the servers go offline, the game will no longer be playable.” On August 15th of this year, this game will leave EA Play.
Currently, the in-game currency system of the game is on hold. Players can no longer buy in-game currencies, but they can spend the collected amount until the game goes offline. This is not the first time a game is bidding goodbye, but very few games have faced such support from the community.
On Reddit and other gaming forums, including EA’s official one, players started asking for an offline mode. Recently, fans launched a Change.org petition requesting EA to save the game by releasing the server files or the dedicated binaries as DLCs.
Apart from that, they have also asked the developer team to remove microtransactions and make a standard loot pool that will be obtainable through gameplay. This backlash was surprising and highly unexpected.
Also Read: Dragon Age: The Veilguard—Why BioWare is Struggling?
The withdrawal date of the game is drawing closer, and the ‘Stop Killing Games’ campaign is gaining momentum. Notably, this campaign has created history in the gaming world with more than one million signatures, with supporters echoing a similar sentiment everywhere: it should be made illegal to pull off a purchased game without offering an offline mode.
Reportedly, the European Union's IT sector has taken notice of Stop Killing Games. However, no legal action has been initiated. On Reddit and other forums, players unanimously echoed the sentiment, “If you bought a game, you should be able to play it.”
Hundreds of gamers agreed, “letting games like Anthem disappear completely also sends a dangerous message: that live-service games are disposable, no matter how much time or money players invested.” What the future holds for this game is uncertain, but the community support it receives is what most games aspire to.
As the clock ticks toward January 12, 2026, Anthem fans are getting more furious. They are taking one last stand to convince EA not to take down the game completely. They want to grind the game they have invested in.
At the time of writing, EA or BioWare hasn’t responded to this petition. Whether the game will get private servers, DLC tools, or offline support is uncertain, but this petition highlights a larger battle over digital ownership and the right to preserve virtual worlds. Hopefully, this will open a new horizon for live-service game preservation in the future.
Also Read: EA Open-Sources 4 Classic Command & Conquer Games
