Somehow, 2019 is nearly upon us which means so are all of those major releases slated for the first quarter of the year. One of the most notable games in this window is BioWare and EA's Anthem, which as of today has reached a major new milestone.

BioWare's Casey Hudson posted a new blog today on the studio's official website and announced that Anthem has now reached its Alpha phase internally. This means that all content that will be included in the finished product has now been added into the game and is working enough that it's now fully playable. From here, the long road of bug fixes and polishing will begin as Anthem continues to inch towards release.

Hudson's statement regarding hitting the Alpha phase is as follows:

Last week, the Anthem team passed its Alpha milestone – meaning that every part of the game is in, and functioning.  It’s a ton of fun to play, and full of engaging character moments and storylines.  But it’s also exciting to see people around the office (and at our partner studios) grouping together for adventures in this new world we’ve created.

As a longtime BioWare veteran, Hudson also says that this time period at the studio reminds him of the days when they were working on that of Baldur's Gate.

These days the energy around the office feels a lot like it did back then on Baldur’s Gate, where the team is starting to get a sense of the magic they’ve created together and there’s a growing excitement about finally releasing it into the world.  There’s a ton of work ahead, but everyone knows what they need to do and is working with a level of passion and effort that’s truly inspiring.

Even though there's a ton of work left to be done on Anthem, it's encouraging to hear just how excited everyone is at BioWare about this project. No matter what your own opinion is on the game, it has been clear from day one that a ton of love and passion has been poured into Anthem from everyone at BioWare. Hopefully, that love and care will be reflected in the final product.

Anthem is scheduled to launch next year for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on February 22. A few weeks before then, a demo will release on February 1 for all platforms giving you a chance to see if it's what you're looking for.