Shortly after making its presence known at this year's Game Awards Show that aired live via streaming services on Thursday, December 6th, Electronic Arts and BioWare announced that the third-person sci-fi action game, Anthem, will be receiving a demo starting in January of 2019.
Electronic Arts announced that a VIP demo will be available for Anthem, along with an open-access demo of the game. The first VIP demo will be available only to those who pre-order the game between now and January 25th, 2019. For those who pre-order they will be given early access to the demo starting January 25th, 2019. The VIP demo will also be made available to those who are subscribed to the EA Access program on the Xbox One, or those who are subscribed to Origin Access on PC.
Now if you aren't registered with the EA Access or Origin Access services, or if you have no intentions on pre-ordering the game whether it be out of principle or lack of interest, EA is hoping to get you to reconsider with the open demo that will be available to everyone. For those of you who want to play-test the game ahead of its launch you'll have access to the free demo starting February 1st, 2019 just a week after those who pre-order the game or are subscribed to Electronic Arts' digital services.
This follows-up on the recent re-reveal of Anthem as a more story-oriented game at The Game Awards. All the previous trailers focused on the Javelins, the armored exo-suits that players will wear throughout the game to engage in combat and explore the world beyond the walls. We were usually teased with the different weapon types, special abilities, and monsters that the Javelins would encounter, along with the way the exploration and travel system worked and how players could team up with others with the online co-op, very similar to Destiny 2 or the multiplayer in the Wii U exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles X.
The story trailer that dropped at The Game Awards gave gamers a meatier explanation of what the Javelins are for, what's at stake if they lose, and some of the enemies that players will be facing off against outside of the jungle monsters that they're attempting to keep away from the walls.
It appears as if there's an insurgent of sorts trying to take control of the mercenaries who fight on behalf of the people inside of the bulwark, he's known as The Monitor. He appears to want to destroy the monsters once and for all and bring peace back to the land, but at a cost that some feel is too high to pay.
With the stakes clearly raised, it gives Anthem a more BioWare-centric feel that many gamers have probably come to expect from the development studio, especially following on the heels of games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
For those of you who have been reluctant to engage with Anthem, at least you'll be able to put that reluctance to the test when the demo becomes available starting in February of 2019 for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. For gamers who are already sold on the third-person sci-fi shooter and have no qualms about putting money in EA's coffers, you'll be able to access the demo a week before the game launches on February 22nd, 2019. The pre-order page has opened up over on the official EA website for those who want to get into the VIP demo, while the registration for the open demo will be available on the page for those who don't pre-order the game.
