Usually when developers release demos for their games, it tends to be a short demo that gives players a brief idea of what to expect if they were to buy it. The same can be said for open betas in which it is usually restricted to maybe half a chapter in the story, or maybe one or two missions, and so on.
However that’s not what BioWare will be doing with its upcoming Anthem title. EA (the game’s publisher) has announced that they will be making a VIP demo available for all EA/Origin Access subscribers on the Xbox One and PC. This demo will be available come 1st of February, 2019, and will actually be a full demo of the game.
Of course it won’t be the complete game, but according to Anthem’s lead producer Mike Gamble, it will be an actual slice of the game and not just a technical preview. Gamble also seemed to allude that this demo will be what players can expect upon its release, whereas in the past we’ve seen how demos were used to solicit player feedback on areas that could be improved.
Of course this isn’t to say EA and BioWare won’t be taking feedback into consideration, but that won’t be the purpose of this particular demo. Anthem was originally supposed to be released this year but the company announced that it had been delayed to 2019. It is currently on track for a release on the 22nd of February, 2019, about three weeks after the demo goes live.