Those playing the VIP demo of Anthem are currently encountering many issues, including a quite nasty bug. BioWare is now apologizing to the players and giving them a gift.
This is why BioWare is apologizing: The VIP demo of Anthem is anything but smooth. A loading screen bug is causing significant problems for players. They get stuck on the loading screen before setting off on a mission, making the demo essentially unplayable.
You can see in our live ticker about the Anthem demo in detail what the issues are.
BioWare is giving away vinyl skins: As compensation, BioWare is now giving players of the VIP demo a second vinyl skin. Players already receive a blue vinyl skin for all Javelins for playing the VIP demo. The vinyl skins will be available with the release of Anthem. They cannot be recolored.
BioWare explains the problems in a letter to fans
Chad Robertson highlights the issues regarding the VIP demo in a blog post. Robertson is the Head of Live Service at BioWare. He asserts that Anthem and the platforms were tested for several months.
Servers should not be the issue: According to Robertson, nothing went wrong in planning regarding the necessary servers. BioWare ensured that there was enough capacity to cater to the growing number of players. There were even surplus capacities available, which still exist to accommodate more players.
These are the three biggest issues
BioWare has identified three main problems:
Large number of players at launch: The disruptions occurred when the servers opened and a peak number of players entered Anthem. These issues did not arise during testing.
Incorrectly assigned account rights: Players have access to certain pre-order bonuses or the VIP demo depending on their edition. There is a bug that appears with certain combinations of entitlement rights, preventing some players from accessing the demo when they should be able to.
Issue in the loading screen: The loading screen bug mainly occurs when players want to go on a mission from Fort Tarsis. This bug reportedly rarely appeared during internal tests. However, it was believed to have been fixed.
This bug worsened as new external factors came into play with the players, which are hard to simulate in a testing environment. These include home networks and many different internet service providers.
By the way: This bug likely will not be fixed during the VIP demo.
BioWare apologizes and works on the issues
On behalf of BioWare, Robertson sincerely apologizes to the players currently suffering from the issues of the VIP demo. He assures that BioWare continues to work on the problems.
This is what BioWare wants to work on: The priorities lie with the issues mentioned above. Additionally, there is a desire to improve server performance and resolve the “rubber banding” issue. This means that players are repeatedly pulled back in the game like on a rubber band.
Robertson promises the community that BioWare will continue to stay in touch with the players. They want to maintain communication even when problems arise.
Will there be an extension of the VIP demo? Probably not. Employee BioChris commented on this. The entire strength of BioWare is now focused on fixing the issues.
Anthem is receiving positive feedback despite issues: Although the VIP demo is plagued by many problems, many enjoy Anthem itself. The gameplay is well-received, and especially the flying in Anthem is considered fantastic.
The communication of the employees is also particularly praised. Although many things are going wrong with the VIP demo, the employees do not break contact with the fans. This is appreciated and respected.
