It’s possibly a game that not everyone can remember- but it seems it landed in the trash can, right next to BioWare’s Anthem Next.

We previously mentioned as a rumour that Anthem’s rework is going to be cancelled. Then, earlier this week, it was officialized that Anthem Next is not going to happen. Instead, BioWare is spending the resources on Dragon Age 4, which is now on its third concept, as we wrote recently that it is now a single-player-only title. (The second concept added a monetization/live service, multiplayer focus.)

On Bloomberg, we read about the game that Electronic Arts showcased in the following video below. (In case it isn’t timestamped, scroll to 59 seconds.)

Gaia is meant to be an Assassin’s Creed-like action game that Electronic Arts Motive began working on in 2015. Assassin’s Creed? Yes, and for a good reason: after a stint at Ubisoft and before moving to Stadia Games & Entertainment (SG&E), Jade Raymond was helming this studio, and she was crucial in the foundations of Assassin’s Creed. This IP was meant to be „more open-world, more single-play versus multiplayer.”

However, in 2017, the bell tolled for BioWare Montreal, as Mass Effect: Andromeda’s performance was below expectations. The staff then joined Motive, which was split in half. One part of the team worked on Star Wars: Battlefront II, while the other continued developing Gaia. However, Battlefront II’s creative leads also joined Motive, which led to a series of cultural clashes, resulting in these people leaving Electronic Arts to join Ubisoft. (Don’t forget, we’re in Montreal, and for the French publisher, it’s technically home soil…)

This led to Gaia facing a reboot. Then, Raymond left to join SG&E (also within Montreal…), but the development continued behind the scenes, even if we didn’t see much of it. The reveal was practically those few seconds in EA Play Live we embedded above. There, Gaia was described as a „highly ambitious, innovative new game that puts the power and creativity in your hands, and it’s an experience that would’ve been impossible without next-gen technology.” It was far from being complete.

Bloomberg’s sources claim the reboot of Gaia was one of the reasons behind its cancellation, and it also played a role in eliminating Anthem Next. Motive continues adding content to Star Wars: Squadrons while working on unannounced games. Gaia, well… it lived for six years without being completed.

Source: PSL