Neill Blomkamp's Anthem short is out now, but it's actually a trailer

Update: EA has rebranded Conviction—An Anthem Story only an hour after it appeared. Originally advertised as a live action short film featuring new characters and a new story, any mention of 'story' has since been removed. It's now Conviction—An Anthem Trailer. This is definitely more accurate—it's certainly not a short film—but it's bizarre that the change only happened after it went live on YouTube.

Original story: Neill Blomkamp's Anthem short was only teased and subsequently announced a few days ago, but it's already out now. Conviction—An Anthem Story is set decades before the game, introducing new characters and a new story. Check it out above.

So… that seemed a lot more like a trailer than a short film. There were some flashy moments amid the loosely connected scenes, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Perhaps this is just a precursor to a more coherent film. BioWare and EA haven't said anything to that effect, but Blomkamp has teased that it might be the start of something larger.

I guess if audiences like it https://t.co/wu7DoyU0FIFebruary 13, 2019

Back in 2017, just after Anthem was revealed at E3, Blomkamp tweeted that it "looks so cool", and from that innocuous tweet, the short was (probably) born.

Anthem from @bioware looks so coolJune 12, 2017

Anthem is out soon, technically on February 22, but since its staggered release is so confusing, we can help you figure out what times Anthem's servers go live and how to pre-load.

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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.