No matter how you felt about Mass Effect 3 or Andromeda, BioWare has always been a storytelling studio in its RPGs. But those story tried to be based on hard science, with silly but believable-sounding explanations and jargon for all the gadgets, physics and abilities that make up the universe. Anthem will be taking a different tack, going more fantastical with its story and lore.

The term BioWare is using now is "science fantasy," akin to Star Wars and Spielberg. In an interview with CBC Radio in Edmonton, BioWare General Manager Aaryn Flynn says that in Anthem, "we don’t worry about why they’re happening, or how they’re happening — the science of it. Mass Effect is more our real hardcore science fiction IP. This one is much more just having fun in a game world that’s lush and exotic and really sucks you in."

Flynn also explained, however, that the game will continue to explore personal experiences and relationships. "We’ve had folks who have moved into Canada, who are immigrants, and so often those stories find their way in," he said. "We have those folks who are from smaller communities, and those stories make their way in. We have LGBTQ members, and those stories make their way into the games. And so it all comes from your personal experience -- the writers, the designers, the artists. They all want to put into the game things they’ve admired or experienced in their lives."

BioWare made a splash at this year's E3 with the long-awaited reveal of its new IP. Publisher EA is pushing the game as a "live service" social experience, and specifically delayed the game to late 2018 or early 2019 so that BioWare could have more time to get the feature set right. If you are interested in the new offering from BioWare, be sure to check out everything we know about Anthem.