"The newest highway truck from Mack is built for your business and designed for the driver. With a bold design, tough engineering and a high-quality interior, the new Mack Anthem has been created with detail in mind."
— SCS Software's blog[1]
It was first announced by a video, that a small SCS Software team configured the sounds of the Mack Anthem in a video and it was part of their configuration list in a blog.[2][3] It was added to the game on the 28th April, 2020, along with the 1.37 update.
The Anthem gets a new edition, called the Black Anthem Limited Edition, alongside a set of new midlift chassis. They were released together with the Pinnacle on the 13th September, 2024, along with the 1.51 update.
29 January 2020: In SCS Software's video "A Look Back at 2019", one part of the video shows a recording section of the Mack Anthem.[4][2] There was also a blog post about an SCS Software team recording American truck sounds back on the 24th September 2019, and the Mack Anthem as part of the configuration list.[3]
26 February 2020: The 1.37 Open Beta added the folder mack.anthem in /def/vehicle/truck.[5]
27 March 2020: SCS posted a video making references to the history and creation of the Mack Trucks mascot, the Bulldog,[6] indicating that the Mack Trucks will be the next manufacturer after the International Trucks.[7]
14 April 2020: SCS posted a little video on their social medias, thanking the more than 140,000 followers on their Instagram account, and in this video in the initial seconds, can see a truck that looks like the Mack Anthem.[8]
22 April 2020: SCS Software officially announced that the Mack Anthem will arrive soon to the game.[1]
28 April 2020: The Mack Anthem is released along with a trailer video.[9]
Since the release of the truck, new contents have been added into it for free in the game updates.
23 March 2021: Update 1.40 gets the Mack Anthem a set of new 4x2 chassis for its Day Cab variants. A blog post on the 2nd February 2021 announced this addition.[10]
10 September 2024: Update 1.51 gets the Mack Anthem a new limited edition, called the 'Black Anthem', alongside a set of new midlift chassis. A blog post on the 10th September 2024 announced this addition.[11]
In real-life, it is the successor of the Mack Pinnacle CXU, a Set-Back Axle variation of the Pinnacle, while its CHU variant continue to be produced under the simple name "Pinnacle". In Venezuela and Perú, its predecessor was sold as the Vision Elite.
In 2019, Mack Trucks released the Black Anthem Limited Edition that redefines what it means to operate in the black. It was a special run, as it was limited to only 500 Mack Anthems (all of which have been sold out). It also comes with a YETI cooler packed with commemorative memorabilia, including a customised Mack watch, a Mack Black Anthem diecast, a black Mack Bulldog keychain and more.
The Volvo D11-based MP7 engine is exclusively available for the Anthem, while the Volvo D13-based MP8 engine is also available in its set-forward axle counterpart.
