BioWare's Anthem will get a beta, director says

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It's too soon for details, but it will happen.

BioWare only revealed its Destiny-alike online shooter Anthem in June, and so it's understandable that it's still nowhere near ready for release. But when it's closer to the mark, game director Jonathan Warner said that there will be a beta before it goes out the door. 

Given the Anthem's shared-world shooter ambitions, it's no surprise BioWare plans to do some public testing. Major studios don't just throw something together and then slap a price tag on it and hope for the best. (Insert your own joke here.) 

But the definition of the term has broadened greatly over the years, and so the specifics of what Warner is committing to is... well, it's not anything, really. The assumption is that, like the Call of Duty: WWII multiplayer beta that kicks off tomorrow, the game will be effectively complete and the "test" will in reality be a "play it free" promotional event and server stress test. In response to a request for clarity, however, Warner said that it's "too soon for details" but that more information will be provided "when the time is right."

The promise of a distant Anthem beta will no doubt bring to mind a similar commitment to a Mass Effect: Andromeda "multiplayer tech test," made in 2016 and scrapped in 2017. Given how that worked out, and the obviously ugly optics of pulling the same stunt while memories of Andromeda are still relatively fresh, I think it's a safe bet that this one will happen. Anthem is currently expected out near the end of 2018.

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Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.