Anthem, published by EA and developed by BioWare, will enter a temporary service shutdown as of January 12 local time (January 13 in Korea).

In a statement posted through its customer support center, EA said: “After careful consideration, we’ve decided to shut down Anthem services on January 12, 2026. Following this announcement, you will no longer be able to purchase in-game premium currency. Any remaining premium balance you currently have will remain usable until the service ends. We sincerely thank you for the dedication, passion, and support you’ve shown over the past several years.”

EA also addressed whether players would be able to play Anthem in an “offline mode,” stating: “Because Anthem was designed as an online-only game, once the servers are shut down you will no longer be able to play the game.”

Some observers believe this shutdown could reignite a second wave of the “Stop Killing Games” movement. “Stop Killing Games” is a consumer campaign that calls for guaranteeing “permanent access rights” to games people have purchased—an effort that gained traction after Ubisoft announced the end of service for The Crew. Public opinion around the movement has been divided, with supporters backing the preservation and access argument, while opponents counter that, due to the nature of live-service games, server upkeep becomes difficult over time and such decisions are therefore unavoidable.

Meanwhile, the third-person shooter (TPS) Anthem, released on February 15, 2019, promoted the thrill of donning an exosuit and exploring a vast open world. However, due to thin content and inexperienced live operations, it received a cold reception from both players and critics—ultimately leading to today’s service shutdown announcement.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.