Anthem VIP Demo Is Having Major Issues, BioWare Issues A Statement
Earlier today, the highly anticipated VIP demo for Anthem launched. Even BioWare and EA didn’t fully understand quite how many players would line up to give the game a try. Even though it won’t reflect the game’s final build, players could not wait to give the title a spin. The overwhelming surge of players overloaded EA’s servers and causing serious issues across multiple titles.
Around 11 AM Central time, EA’s servers began experiencing some technical issues. Players reported they could not join any sessions. Thankfully, community manager Jesse Anderson addressed the issue head on. He noted that the servers were “SLAMMED” and reassured players that the team was “working on it as we speak.”
That lead to one of the more creative responses to a server issue I’ve seen in a while.
— Shane (@ratus326) January 26, 2019
Things began improving around 5 PM, but they remained unresolved for another couple of hours. Around 7 PM, BioWare reported that all servers were up and running, and that more servers were still being added to the game. They issued an explanation of the issues on EA’s help site, and the following statement via Twitter:
“The main issue impacting the Anthem VIP demo on PC and PS4 has been resolved. Anyone who has had an issue on those platforms should restart the game and attempt to join again. Our team is still working on fixes for some of the issues we’re seeing on Xbox One.”
As always, just listen to Roy.
With the justifiable hype regarding Anthem, this issue was easy to predict. In fact, BioWare expected this sort of server slowdown when they announced the VIP demo. What they didn’t predict, however, was how many other EA games would be hindered by the launch. FIFA, Battlefield 5, and Star Wars Battlefront 2 players all found their games lagging behind their normal connectivity standards.
Corey Andress, EA’s global manager of community engagement, headed to Twitter to address the problem. Unfortunately, he had little to offer at the time of the incident. “The situation is fluid and I don’t have anything more to share right now. Obviously as I hear more, I will.”
EA DICE’s community manager, Ben Walke, took a more direct and less optimistic approach. He stated that the issues were “affecting multiple EA titles.” He also expressed disbelief in the problems and a lack of confidence in finding a quick solution. “I’m currently watching a lot of people work on the issue,” he posted, “and pretending to know what they are talking about.” Perhaps the lackluster communication for Star Wars Battlefront II’s Count Dooku release pushed him towards more open and honest dialogue.
This is an auspicious start for an ambitious title. Initially, this appeared to be turning into another potential PR nightmare. However, BioWare and the community managers addressed the issue head-on immediately. That level of transparency earns quite a bit of respect within the gaming community. Players must expected problems for games of this nature, but by talking with players quickly instead maintaining silence or lying, fans can rest easy knowing that BioWare will do what it can to make Anthem the game we believe it can be.
Anthem launches February 22 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
To stay up to speed on all things gaming, be sure to follow DFTG on Facebook and Twitter!
Drew Weissman230 Posts
Drew is a freelance writer for DFTG. He's the former Managing Editor of Haogamers and has been published in the Chicago Tribune and The Paragon Journal. He also edited the novel Three Brightnesses and Artist Journey: Rachta Lin (2016 and 2017 editions).
