Catching even the most eager gamers off guard, EA announced an all-new, original game at EA Play in 2017. That offering, as we all now know, is Anthem, an open-world, post-apocalyptic game from the creators of the much-beloved Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
Since then, we’ve seen a formal announcement trailer at E3 2017, and watched details slowly trickle in on gameplay. We’ve also now been given a better indication of when we’re likely to see the game arrive in our hands. So, what can we expect from Anthem? Here’s everything we know so far about BioWare’s upcoming new game.
Anthem: Everything you need to know
Anthem release date: When will Anthem be coming out in the UK?
Anthem will be released early in 2019, making way for a Battlefield instalment that will hit shelves in 2018.
EA initially set a 2018 release date for Anthem, but in late January this was pushed back to 2019, with rumours suggesting that development was behind schedule. EA has since categorically denied that this is the reason for the delay. Instead, EA says it doesn’t want Anthem to compete with the big hitters at the end of the year, telling The Wall Street Journal: “It’s not a delay; people are trying to create a story.”
The rumours were perhaps started when Anthem’s original director, Aaryn Flynn, resigned from the studio back in July 2017. He was replaced by Casey Hudson, well known for developing Mass Effect.
In a further call with investors, EA’s chief executive Andrew Wilson reiterated that the delay was due to scheduling, not anything else.
“Regardless of how it’s being portrayed, we’re not looking at that as a delay. We’ve chosen to launch Anthem in Q4, and the date is really determined by portfolio of balancing consideration, not for product-readiness reasons,” Wilson explained. “It’s tracking well on its development milestones. We’re really confident of its ship date.”
“It doesn’t make sense to launch Anthem right up next to [Battlefield]. And when you think about it, Anthem as a brand-new IP, we also believe it makes sense to give it its own launch window so that we can give [it] a focus and the attention that it deserves,” Wilson added.
Anthem story and gameplay: What’s it all about?
EA first surprised gamers with the announcement of a completely new, original action IP at EA Play 2017, explaining that the game would be “built around a live service” with a “disruptive, new social design”.
Anthem is an open-world, online RPG located in a post-apocalyptic city that’s overrun by giant monsters. Humans live beyond a Game of Thrones-esque wall. You play as part of a group of guardians who watch over the other humans, and venture out beyond the wall looking for supplies, items and, from what we’ve seen so far, a missing group. You’ll also be able to team up with other players online to complete the game. Watch the initial announcement trailer below:
Anthem’s gameplay video is much more gratifying than the announcement trailer, and tells us more about how the game will function.
One core game mechanic is the use of Javelins, which are robot-like suits. These suits will have different classes, such as the generalist Ranger and the tank Colossus. The classes will be similar to those in Mass Effect.
The online campaign suggests that EA wants to branch out from Mass Effect, and take a swipe at Destiny 2.
Anthem platforms: What platforms will Anthem be playable on?
EA has confirmed that Anthem will be available on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC, and that the game will take full advantage of the Xbox One X and the PS4 Pro’s 4K beauty. We doubt it will be coming to the Nintendo Switch, though, just because of the sheer rendering power that the game will need to run.