Anthem: 8 Ways EA Could Still Mess It Up

8. Tiered Release Dates

EA seems to be at the forefront of gaming’s newest manipulative trend: tiered release dates. In the old days, a game would have one set-in-stone release date (or perhaps several for international releases) and that would be it. Today, those too impatient to sit by and mark days off of the calendar can pony up some extra dough for early access.

Tiered release dates may become the new normal for AAA games in 2019, and it’s quickly becoming a headache for budget-conscious gamers. Anthem was first made available via an exclusive closed demo in early December, but was more recently playable over last weekend’s VIP premium demo.

It doesn’t stop there, though. Everyone will have access to an open demo from the first to the third of February, and Origin Premier Access subscribers can go hands-on with the title starting February fifteenth.

The poor saps of the world who weren’t gracious enough to pay Electronic Arts for the privilege of early access will have to wait until the twenty-second of February to play the game. This may seem like a minor gripe, but tiered releases are certain to become the industry’s next big controversy.