E3 2017: EA’s Press Conference Round-Up

On early Sunday morning, 11 June, Electronic Arts (EA) held their E3 2017 press conference revealing the various games and content they have lined up for the near future. Here is a brief summary of the announcements in case you’ve missed it:

Battlefield 1 — New maps, events, and details on the next expansion

DICE’s hugely successful Battlefield 1 will be getting a whole bunch of updates in the next few months. This summer, players can expect to see two new maps and a line of in-game events leading up to the next expansion, In The Name of the Tsar.

The highlight of the announcement, In The Name Of The Tsar sees the Russian Army joining the conflict, which includes the all-female Women’s Batallion of Death. It’ll also have six new maps, eleven new weapons, new game modes, and new vehicles. The expansion releases this September.

Before that, Premium Pass owners will receive the “Nivelle Nights” map in June and “Prise de Tahure” in July.

EA also teased some future plans for the game. Turning Tides will introduce amphibious combat in December, while Apocalypse will recreate some of World War I’s infamous battles once it’s out in early 2018. Also, details for competitive Battlefield at Gamescom will be revealed at a later date.

Madden NFL 18 – Getting its first-ever story mode

Following the popular story mode found in FIFA 17, EA revealed that Madden NFL 18 will also be getting a dramatic single-player campaign of its own, a first for the long-running series.

Titled “Longshot”, players take on the role of Devin Wade, a former five-star high school quarterback who’s taking a second chance at going pro. The core message here is about not letting go of a dream, even if Wade hasn’t been on the field in three years. It’ll be up to us to help guide our prospect from his small hometown to NFL stardom.

EA are promising that Longshot will be a movie-like experience for its story, visuals, and cast. Wade’s performance is by American actor JR Lemon, who has previously done motion-capture work for the series. Other characters include former athlete and Wade’s father, Cutter Wade (starring Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali); close friend and fellow prospect Colt Cruise (American actor Scott Porter); and former quarterback Dan Marino as Wade’s mentor.

Need For Speed Payback – A gameplay trailer

EA showed off Ghost Game’s latest title, Need For Speed Payback, with a new trailer and more details. The video above features the Highway Heist mission from the campaign, where players speed through busy traffic to catch a truck. The job isn’t so simple, however. That truck belongs to The House, the organization that protagonists Tyler, Jess, and Marc are seeking vengeance on, and it isn’t travelling alone.

So what we get in the trailer is an adrenaline-pumping mix of high-speed chases, slow-motion cameras, and huge explosions of debris as these enemy vehicles get shoved aside and crash. The story itself screams Fast and Furious and Need for Speed: The Run.

We also got a brief look at the new Relic System, where old, classic cars can be customized and modernized in-game.

Need For Speed Payback releases on 10 November 2017 for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.

A Way Out – New co-op adventure from Hazelight Studios

A Way Out is a brand new EA Originals game developed by Hazelight Studios, creators of the clever and heart-warming Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons. Those familiar with that gem will notice that the developers have taken a completely different approach this time around.

Players take on the role of either Vincent or Leo, two separate inmates working together to make their escape yet each with their own story and agenda. Unlike their previous game, A Way Out is designed for two players, either online or on the couch. However, Hazelight are promising it’ll have the same two elements that made Brothers shine: an emotional journey and innovative gameplay.

Both characters and their actions will always be present on the screen, seamlessly transitioning from a full-screen display to the more familiar split-screen, allowing the developers to focus on Vincent and Leo in different ways while also opening up gameplay variety. For example, one player can be watching a cutscene while the other is moving about as usual.

Given the prison break set-up, the game will have a number of action- heavy moments such as car chases, melee fights, and even shootouts.

A Way Out will release as a digital download in early 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Anthem – The surprise announcement by BioWare

Despite our expectations for a new Dragon Age game, BioWare surprised us all with a teaser for Anthem. We don’t know much at the moment, outside of the game featuring an exosuit and development based on EA’s Frostbite 3 engine. More details, including its gameplay reveal, will be shown off tomorrow morning during Microsoft’s press conference.

Star Wars Battlefront II – Story bridges gap between Episode VI and VII

Top on everyone’s list for EA is, of course, Star Wars Battlefront II, a high-stakes project handled by Motive Studios, DICE, and Criterion Games. The press conference revealed some juicy new details for both the game and it’s future.

Firstly, Battlefront II will feature a single-player campaign that’s set in-between Star Wars Episode VI: Return Of Jedi and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. It bridges a yawning gap in the beloved movie franchise, much like what Rogue One did for Revenge of The Sith and A New Hope.

Following that, the multiplayer video showed off an intense firefight between the separatist faction and the Republic clone troopers, as well as a bit that’s sure to please fans of Darth Maul. Players pining for dogfights will get to do so in the cockpit of a First Order TIE Fighter or the Naboo N-1 Starfighter among others, even in space. Also, the multiplayer will cover a much larger scope of the Star Wars universe, with playable heroes and villains such as Yoda and Kylo Ren.

A multiplayer beta will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One this fall. Anyone who places a pre-order will be given early access to it.

Battlefront II releases worldwide on 17 November 2017 for all three platforms. After launch, EA and Lucasfilm will collaborate on themed seasons featuring free content. The first of these will be in December, inspired by the upcoming Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. It’ll feature playable characters Finn and Captain Phasma among other things such as maps, events, and rewards.

Stay tuned for more E3 content as they release this week!

Up next: Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference