To hype players up for February, BioWare released the 20-minute gameplay demo of Anthem that was showcased at E3 2018. The demo shows four Freelancers embarking on an entire mission, with a Bioware producer narrating along the way. The video highlights the game’s combat system, flight mechanics, and other unique facets of gameplay, such as flying through waterfalls to cool down jetpacks and exploring underwater caves.
As far as how the game will evolve after its release, lead producer Mike Gamble talked about that following the game’s E3 showing.
“We have systems which support live content of all different types and sizes,” he said. “Small things – we can add a couple of lines of dialogue to a certain NPC, [up to] adding in new characters, areas, missions. Part of the large investment in Anthem is the ability to continue telling new stories for as long as we want. Instead of having to wait – like with our older DLCs, it would be every three or four months at least before we released a big pack of content. We want to do that different this time.”
Some people have expressed concerns at Anthem’s direction, saying it doesn’t look like a BioWare game. But Gamble assures fans there’s nothing to worry about.
“There’s an amazing cast of characters in this game,” he said “Tarsis is a place that is yours where you can make choices and see consequences. You can play the story of the game solo. There’s an incredible world to explore and it is full of lore. It is full of things you will want to learn about – where the Scars came from, what the Dominion from the North is.”
“It’s not just in any shape or form you with a gun just flying around shooting things. It’s a whole package. For players who want this to be a traditional BioWare game, that is part of the game. It is different – it’s not a single-player linear game, and yes there are no romances or active companions flying with you, but there’s all the other things which weave into the DNA of what makes a BioWare game. In addition to amazing combat, amazing mobility, a cool open world.”
Anthem is set for release February 22, 2019 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows.