Which as per the latest EA financial earnings report-call-speech-thingy, has Anthem launching in the closing moments of the current financial year - that being sometime around March 31, 2019. Also discussed by EA CEO Andrew Wilson was this year's return of Battlefield, a game that we've heard rumours about but have yet to learn anything concrete.

Not that we get a lot of info as Andrew Wilson states, “With our next Battlefield game, the team at DICE is bringing the intensity of combat to life in new and unexpected ways. Every battle is unique, and every mode brings its own challenges – from the way you interact with the environment around you, to compelling single-player stories, to the next level of large-scale multiplayer that spans across multiple maps and modes."

Single-player? Check. The use of the word 'stories' to imply that like Battlefield 1 we'll be getting episodic tales of warfare and valour? Check. Large-scale multiplayer? Check. Multiple maps? Check. Yeah, definitely a new Battlefield. But, the rather cryptic "All the things Battlefield fans expect out of a multiplayer game from DICE in the Battlefield universe will be there. Additional innovations in how we’re thinking on the future of multiplayer in first-person shooters will be there at launch and over time as part of a live service" adds some intrigue.

International intrigue - cause Battlefield developer DICE are located in Sweden.

So what's this about the future and innovation? Well, probably a new mode - one perhaps informed by the success of battle royale titles like PUBG and Fortnite. Whatever it is, it'll be ready in time for launch so expect news to drop soon or as part of EA's 'EA Play - Not-Exactly E3 But Totally Still Is Showcase'.

Back to Anthem, even though a 2019 release window was kind of expected getting it in March means that development at BioWare must be pretty far along. Even more interesting is news that we'll probably be getting some form of beta in the near future. With Andrew Wilson adding, "Anthem is a fundamentally social experience, and we will open new ways for fans to join the community and play early, enabling us to shape and refine the game with their input and feedback."

We only say this because to truly use fan feedback to shape and refine Anthem, a beta or playable version would need to be out there at least six months before launch day. Which, sure, is a guess - but an educated one based purely on having little to no idea how a game the size of Anthem even gets made in the first place.

Also, that thing they call fire is sorcery.