The Anthem Launch Bay Is a 16-Player Social Hub, Goes Live Day One

In lieu of a social hub similar to those featured in Destiny and The Division, BioWare crafted Fort Tarsis for Anthem. Fort Tarsis will serve as the player’s home base, where they’ll privately venture into between missions. The announcement of such a feature’s absence was met with an unfavorable response. But the studio has now rectified the situation, revealing that a social hub will be available in Anthem on release day. Launch Bay is the name of the hub, which will allow 16-players to exist in the space at once.

The Lead Producer on Anthem, Mike Gamble, announced the news on his personal Twitter page. The post also featured a brief video, demonstrating players interacting with one another in Launch Bay.

After a mission, you can head back to Tarsis and catch up with some of the amazing characters we’ve created for you…OR…head back to the brand new Launch Bay, hang out with your friends, use the forge, reload and grab a new contract. Yeah, we listened to you… details soon! pic.twitter.com/m5sp96IpDh

— Michael Gamble (@GambleMike) January 23, 2019

In a subsequent tweet, Gamble noted the detail about the social hub’s featuring a capacity of 16 players. He also confirmed that Launch Bay will not be available in Anthem’s upcoming demo. All in all, this is good news. Yet, it’s not just good news because Anthem will receive a social hub. As Gamble himself mentioned, this proves BioWare listens to feedback and will act on it in a timely fashion. If nothing else, Launch Bay may help alleviate the worries of those who think Anthem won’t be well supported post-launch.

Prelading is already available for the Anthem demo. The VIP demo will go live on January 25, 2019, followed by a public trial on February 1st. Anthem’s full release will hit stores a few weeks later on February 22nd.