Anthem demo sessions are coming in January and February
Don't feel bad if you missed out on the alpha, you'll still have a chance to try before you buy.
If you didn't get into this weekend's alpha test for BioWare's upcoming Destiny-a-like Anthem, or if you just decided to take a pass until it's a little closer to completion, you'll still have the opportunity to try it for free before launch. EA has announced that two demo sessions will take place prior to release, one set for January for "VIPs," and another for the rest of us in February.
The VIP demo will run January 25-27, 2019, and will be available to anyone who has preordered Anthem, or is an EA Access or Origin Access subscriber. (They're basically the same thing, but EA Access is for the Xbox, and I guess being on a different platform meant it needed a different name.) The "open" demo will run February 1-3, 2019, and as the name suggests, will be open to all.
In the leadup to the January session, EA will be giving away VIP demo codes to people who sign up for the Anthem newsletter, so you might be able to score an upgrade to the fancy party even if you're not ready to buy in just yet.
In case you missed it last night, BioWare dropped a new Anthem trailer at The Game Awards that reveals a little bit more about its strange game world. It's interesting, a little weird, but most importantly it suggest that there might be some of that BioWare storytelling magic behind all the guns, flying armor suits, and "Destiny-a-like" jokes. Check it out here.
Anthem is scheduled for release on February 22, but Origin Access subscribers will get one week of early access: The doors will open for them on February 15.
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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.
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