EA Confirms Anthem for March 2019

EA Confirms Anthem for March 2019 While CEO Hints at Some Sort of Early Access Release

During yesterday’s Q4 2018 earnings call, Electronic Arts indirectly confirmed that Anthem, Bioware’s highly anticipated new IP, will release in March 2019. We knew it would launch in early 2019, but now Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen revealed the month, too.

"In the case of Anthem, the real issue is, the game will be shipped in the last quarter of the year and in the last month of that quarter, meaning we’ll probably have limited restocking of the title, even if it’s extremely successful. Since it is new IP, we’re being conservative in how we’re thinking about it. We’re very excited about the game. It’s extremely unique, and I think players are going to really enjoy playing it, but we’re careful not to put too large of a forecast in there. And clearly, it will impact this year as well as next year as we not only continue to sell more into the next year but start rolling out the live services associated with that game."

Earlier in the call, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson had talked a bit more about the game. He even seemed to suggest some sort of early access release, though it’s an admittedly vague statement.

"Later in the fiscal year, we will launch our stunning and ambitious new IP, Anthem. Every dimension of this game will offer something entirely new for a wide audience of players. From a new universe with unique stories that BioWare is creating to the cooperative gameplay to the epic and beautiful environment that constantly evolves around players, Anthem is a fundamentally social experience and will open new ways for fans to join the community and play early, enabling us to shape and refine the game with their input and feedback. We’re deeply excited to launch this brand new franchise and equally excited to work with our players to make Anthem a game they can’t wait to play and share with their friends for years to come."

Anthem should feature prominently in EA Play, the E3 showcase event which is set to air on June 9th at 11 AM Pacific Time.