BioWare November 2018 Update, Anthem Developer Livestream and Closed Alpha Info

Casey Hudson, BioWare’s general manager brings us this month’s studio update that mostly focuses on Anthem, a co-operative action-RPG that’s currently slated for a February 22, 2019 release and has recently reached the alpha milestone. And if you want in on that alpha action, you can now go here to learn all about the closed alpha test session scheduled for early December.

You can also check out this recent developer livestream that shows off Anthem’s main hub – Fort Tarsis:

And apart from Anthem, the general update mentions the recent N7 Day event that celebrated the Mass Effect series, hints that we should be expecting some Dragon Age-related announcements in December, and more. A few paragraphs:

First, Anthem. Now that we’re past our Alpha milestone, we’re at the part of the project where we’re doing final tasks and changes, and doing a ton of testing and bug-fixing. And we’re able to do one of my favorite parts of game development: the Play From Home build.

It’s a tradition at BioWare. Late in a project, when the game is good enough and finished enough to really enjoy it as a complete experience, we enable it to be played at home by our developers. It’s an incredibly important step, because it allows us to get out of the mindset of being at the office, and just be at home experiencing the game like a player instead of a developer. Everything that prevents you from loving the game becomes a task or a bug, so we know that when we finish that work, we’ll have something really special.

As creative people, we have a need to try new things. And while Anthem is definitely something new and different, my first Play From Home session with Anthem started with some things I expect from a BioWare game: discovering a vast new universe to explore, being drawn into a compelling story, and meeting characters that I want to learn more about. But for me, it also quickly started to deliver its own magic: superheroic gameplay that makes me want to come back just for the feel of it, and being able to have friends join with me on my adventure so we can explore and fight as a team. Seeing Game Director Jon Warner arrive in my game, resplendent in his white-and-red Ranger Javelin, was particularly inspiring – especially when he led me to a secret location with Legendary treasure.

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If you’ve been following these blogs, or myself and Mark Darrah on Twitter, you know we’re also working on some secret Dragon Age stuff. Dragon Age is an incredibly important franchise in our studio, and we’re excited to continue its legacy. Look for more on this in the coming month (though I won’t tell you where to look…)