Electronic Arts is preparing to launch pre-release demos for Anthem, its upcoming shared-world role-playing game, headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. While the all-new franchise isn't set to launch until February 22, 2019, two planned preview sessions are your chance for early access. The Anthem demo splits into two separate periods, from a limited-access "VIP Demo" to a wider "Open Demo." The former is limited to those who preorder Anthem, subscribe to EA Access on Xbox One, or use Origin Access on PC. Alternatively, the Open Demo is accessible for all. Related: How to play Anthem early demos<doc-sep>Highly anticipated: Anthem doesn’t launch until next month, but BioWare has its pre-release demo ready to go, and you can download it starting today. While you can pre-install it now, the earliest you can begin playing is tomorrow Friday, January 25, but only if you are a VIP. According to EA's announcement, players who have pre-ordered the game for any platform (PS4, XB1, PC) and members of EA’s Origin Access program are considered VIPs. They will have access to play the demo from 9 am Pacific tomorrow until 11 pm Pacific Sunday, January 27. Additionally, VIPs have the privilege of inviting up to three of their friends to join them in the game regardless of their friends' status. Anthem's open demo period is scheduled for next Friday, February 1 at 8 pm Pacific. This trial is open to the public and will run until 11 pm Pacific Sunday, February 3. The demo will consist of some missions and a small part of the Anthem world that players are free to explore. To make the most of the limited time, EA is starting everybody at level 10. “We start you off at level 10 in the demo, so you get to play with a more powerful Javelin and use more powerful weapons,” said EA. Players who played the earlier demo will carry over their progress to the open testing. However, that will be as far as it goes. Once the game launches, everyone will be reset to level 1 so they can start from scratch. If you are interested in playing in either demo period, it might be a good idea to go ahead with the pre-install. The game is a pretty hefty download (44GB PC, 26 PS4, 23 XB1). Anthem is an online only game so you will also need an internet connection and a PSN or Xbox Live subscription. If you are a PC user, you might want to check the minimum system requirements on the Anthem help page. Anthem launches for all three platforms on February 22.<doc-sep>Anthem Launches In A Month, Here Are Some Demo Dates Bioware’s Destiny-like online game, Anthem launches in a month and Casey Hudson, Bioware General Manager, has written a blog post sharing some thoughts about the game and some key dates around the game’s release. Hudson’s blog post, titled ‘One Month To Go‘, briefly tackles the issues of having a story-focused online game. “We knew there would be challenges,” said Hudson. “People are skeptical of the idea of story in an online game, and for good reason. Often, the nature of online multiplayer games tends to fight story agency and interesting character interactions.” “With Anthem, we aim to integrate the fun of multiplayer missions with your friends, and single-player story agency and characters, into a connected narrative experience – set in a world designed to be always changing, and where anything is possible. The result is an intentionally unique structure which is fundamental to Anthem’s design and even the universe it’s set in.” Unsurprisingly, Anthem's Upcoming Demo Will Be Different From the Final Release This Friday, 25th January, people who have either pre-ordered Anthem or who subscribe to EA/Origin Access, will get a chance to play some of Anthem in the comfort of their own homes before anyone else. Read more BioWare Wants You To Know That Story Is A Priority For Anthem One of the biggest ongoing questions surrounding BioWare’s upcoming online shooter Anthem is whether it will be able to hit the narrative bar that the studio has set for itself through series like Dragon Age and Mass Effect. With a new trailer tonight—and a presentation to press this morning in Los Angeles—BioWare is trying to assure fans that even its take on Destiny is doubling down on story. Read more The blog post also lists the dates Anthem’s demo will be available, both to pre-order customers and the general public. On January 25, everyone who has pre-ordered the game or has an active EA Access subscription can join the VIP demo. Following that, an open demo will go live for everyone on February 1. People will be able to play the first ten hours of Anthem on February 15 through the Play First program. Progress will even carry over when the game officially launches on Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC on February 22.<doc-sep>Mark Darrah, executive producer of BioWare’s upcoming Anthem , has given some details on how Anthem’s beta that kicks off later this week will differ from the final game. Have you played Anthem? YES NO So how’s the Anthem demo different from the game? - we start you in the middle - no tutorials - no pilot picker - balance is super different - economy is completely different - 6 weeks less bug fixes ... — Mark Darrah (@BioMarkDarrah) January 19, 2019 Loading In a series of responses on Twitter (via Kotaku ), Darrah explained many of these differences. The demo will not place players at the beginning of the game, but at some point in the middle instead. There won’t be tutorials (or at least not like there will be in the main game) or the “pilot picker” - the game’s character creator. The game’s economy and overall balance will reportedly be much different in the final game as well.Because the team branched off development on this demo and the main game back in December, the demo will be somewhat of a “snapshot” of what the game was at the end of last year. Because of this, there will be six weeks worth of less bug fixes, only one story arc, the mission/stronghold/freeplay balance will be off, the PC controls (specifically flight controls) will be less nuanced, and things will have been renamed for clarity in the main game.When responding to various questions on Twitter, Darrah claimed the microtransactions that will be present in the game will be for vanity items that can also be earned using in-game currency, that the demo would be easier than the final game in general, and that loot will be instanced, so what players earn at the end of a mission will all be of the same rarity, but won’t all be the exact same loot.According to BioWare , those who have either preordered Anthem or are members of EA or Origin Access will be able to play the VIP demo from Friday, January 25, 9am PT - Sunday, January 27, 6pm PT. An identical open demo, which will naturally be available to all players the following week, will be open from Friday, February 1, 9am PT - Sunday February 3, 6pm PT. For console players, the demo will require a PlayStation Plus subscription on PS4 and an Xbox Live subscription on Xbox One.For more on Anthem, which is the IGN First game for January , check out over 45 minutes of gameplay footage and new info on the game , and read about how every activity in Anthem will have matchmaking. Anthem is coming to PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on February 22, 2019. Colin Stevens is a news writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter<doc-sep>
As we are now only a few days away from the Anthem VIP demo, Electronic Arts has updated its Customer Support page to provide more details about it, starting with the launch time. The Anthem VIP demo will be available January 25th at 17:00 UTC, lasting until January 27th. Xbox One and PC users may preload two days in advance, while PlayStation 4 users will have to download the client (roughly 30GB in size) on the 25th. Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem Game Director Jonathan Warner Leaves Bioware After Nearly a Decade Interestingly, it was revealed that all those eligible for the Anthem VIP demo (that is to say, customers who have pre-ordered or have an active Origin Access or EA Access subscription) will be given three friend invite codes to distribute to whomever they please. They'll have to install the game first, then head to this page and follow these three instructions: Click the Refer a Friend tab. Copy the unique link there, and send it to up to three friends. When your friends click the link, they’ll need to sign in with their EA Account and follow the steps on-screen to get set up for the Anthem VIP demo. All those who participate in the VIP demo will receive an in-game reward at the game's launch, as customary with pre-release tests these days. Furthermore, participants in the VIP demo will be happy to hear that their progress will carry over to the second demo, the public one, due to begin on February 1st once again at 17:00 UTC. This final test will end on February 3rd. Anthem will launch February 22nd on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. However, Origin Access Premier subscribers will get the chances to play without limits from February 15th, while Origin Access Basic (on PC) and EA Access (on Xbox One) subscribers may enjoy their usual 10-hour limited trial ahead of launch. The official YouTube channel of the game just shared a new video that's all about uncovering the basics for those who haven't followed the development. Take a look below.