Anthem Desperately Dangles Free Items to Entice Fickle Players Back

• Anthem is celebrating its one-year anniversary.
• To commemorate the event, players can grab a handful of skins if they log into the game.
• Developer BioWare has promised a major overhaul of the game, but free cosmetics are unlikely to tempt players back in the meantime.

Time sure flies by. It’s been a year since Anthem flopped onto the scene and underwhelmed players. To mark the occasion, EA is handing out a bevy of free cosmetics to anyone that logs into the game next month.

Free Skins to Celebrate Anthem’s One-Year Anniversary

The official Anthem Twitter handle shared the news in a tweet with wording packing more than a hint of desperation. While not explicit, it seems EA is attempting to lure players back to Anthem with the promise of free cosmetics.

An accompanying press release over on EA’s Anthem portal dives into what exactly players can grab for jumping back into the game between today and March 24. It reads:

Courage like yours deserves a reward. That’s why, from now through March 24, 2020, you’ll be able to claim four exclusive “Empowered” vinyls – one for each javelin type. In addition, we’re including a brand-new material: “Painted Metallic Flake.” All five are yours starting today; no unlocks necessary!

In a strange parallel to Anthem, the skins themselves are a visual treat but are nothing more than surface adornments for the game’s Iron Man-like Javelin mech suits.

If you’re at all interested in reliving Anthem’s limited thrills donning these new skins, they are available at the Forge.

Disappointed Players Respond

The response to the news on Twitter has been unsurprisingly scathing . Many are using EA and developer BioWare’s show of appreciation to remind that the game left many disappointed despite looking initially so promising.

A couple of weeks back, BioWare revealed plans to bring a major No Man’s Sky-style overhaul to Anthem. BioWare is hoping to usher in a “longer-term redesign of the experience” and reinvent Anthem’s core gameplay loop.

In anticipation of the redesign, a handful of skins are unlikely to tempt players back.