Anthem Revival: Fans Hack EA's Servers

EA officially shut down the servers for the sci-fi game Anthem on January 12, 2026, rendering the multiplayer title completely unplayable. However, a dedicated community of engineers and developers has emerged with a project to revive the game. Recently, a video surfaced showing Anthem partially loading on what appears to be a simulated server environment, igniting hope among fans.

The volunteer team, operating primarily through a Discord server called The Fort's Forge, has been reverse-engineering Anthem's architecture. They have identified key components like EA's Blaze server for authentication, Bioware Online Services (BIGS) for player data, and the Frostbite multiplayer engine for gameplay. Early efforts to emulate Blaze and BIGS have yielded promising results, leading to the recent proof-of-concept.

Despite the progress, significant challenges remain, particularly with Anthem's utilization of the Frostbite engine. The engine's design requires gameplay to run in a server context, and Anthem relies heavily on online data. While the team believes crucial level data is recoverable and the game's logic might exist within the client, unusual engine behaviors and the complexity of player data present hurdles.

Ness199X, a key member of the project, expressed about 75 percent confidence in achieving a playable version of Anthem without EA's servers within months, depending on continued motivation. However, the team is cautiously managing expectations, with administrators urging patience and emphasizing that the released video was a preliminary demonstration and not indicative of rapid progress. They are seeking skilled individuals with Frostbite engine experience to contribute as their codebase solidifies.