Bioware has been going through a rough stretch. Mass Effect 3 was a good game that rubbed some fans the wrong way. Calling the “reboot” that was Mass Effect: Andromeda a bad game would be an understatement. I think of it more of a dumpster fire than a game and I’m a hardcore fan of the series.

One can say that the pressure is mounting for the developer to release a critically acclaimed game. That can totally explain why Bioware would want or even need to take some additional time to ensure that Anthem is super polished and ready to wow gamers. Just don’t call it a delay. Because according to EA’s Blake Jorgensen, this is totally not a delay guys, even though the publisher previously stated that game would have a “fall 2018” release.

According to EA Chief Executive Andrew Wilson, the delay has nothing to with the game being behind schedule, or needing extra polish to ensure that it meets expectations of demanding gamers, but a delay simply makes sense for EA’s bottom line.

During an earnings call, Wilson stated that, “We’ve chosen to launch Anthem in Q4, and the date is really determined by portfolio-balancing considerations, not for product-readiness reasons… It doesn’t make sense to launch ‘Anthem’ right up next to Battlefield and when you think about Anthem as a brand new [intellectual property], we also believe it makes sense to give Anthem its own launch window so that we can give it the focus and attention it deserves and give it free air.”

So they want to give Anthem room to breathe and not get cannibalized by the competition, like the time when Titanfall 2 was released against Battlefield 1, both EA properties. Okay, so totally not a bad thing and proof that EA can actually learn from past mistakes.

EA has denied a report from Kotaku stating the Anthem is delayed due to issues in development.