E3 is that special time of the year when publishers either grant our wishes like benevolent gods or crush our dreams like Gordon Ramsay (sometimes both). Mountain Dew and Doritos sales go through the roof, Twitch chats spew forth the collective sarcastic bile of the gaming masses and the dying embers of the fires of the consoles wars will be whipped once more into a roaring inferno. It’s just a good time all round. We’ve had our ears to the ground and have been frequently visiting the rumour mill to see what information has leaked and what gamers want to see from the major pressers. Got a rumour/hope/dream/tea leaf divination you want to share? You know what to do.
In this preview we are looking at one of gamers’ most beloved publishers, EA. They have lots of money, they love sports, they’re slowly murdering Star Wars in cold blood and their CEO bears a passing resemblance to Lucifer himself; what’s not to love? Yes, they’ve been on the ugly end of some scathing criticisms of late (reportedly enough to draw the ire of Mickey Mouse himself), but they don’t make squillions of dollars because they don’t know what they’re doing, and they also hold the keys to some huge franchises and licenses. So let’s have a look at what you might expect if you manage to pry your eyes open at 4 am on June 10th. Note that EA’s press conference isn’t actually a part of E3 per se, but rather a part of their EA play event which takes place in the same city and same time as E3.
What we want to see
Personally I’d love to see EA confirm that they haven’t taken Mass Effect out to the back of the milk shed, shot it in the back of the head and let it gracelessly tumble into a grave they made it dig. Even just a teaser for the next game would be nice, although for many the slightly sour taste of Andromeda is still probably a bit fresh. I’d welcome a left-field announcement such as a re-reboot of the Syndicate franchise (after the passable but generic 2012 FPS), and I live in hope that they’ll put all the original developers from Criterion back together and make a new Burnout.
In the slightly more probable side of things, we’ll hopefully see what’s happening with the Star Wars license (a license that has been woefully misused by them thus far). After the single player-focused Star Wars project that Visceral Games were working on (with Amy Hennig of Uncharted fame at the helm no less) was cancelled and ended in the dramatic closing of Visceral Games, EA did indicate that they were kicking the poisoned chalice to EA Vancouver to make an open world Star Wars game. Would love to see what’s happening there. While they’re at it, maybe they’ll show us the Star Wars game that Respawn have been working on, and potentially surprise as by revealing that the release date for that is the day after Black Ops IIII’s.
Reveal your E3 secrets to me, cup!
What we think we’ll see
It’s a fairly sure bet that we’re going to see a very decent chunk of Anthem, EA’s direct answer to Activision’s much-maligned Destiny series. EA would have to be licking their reptilian lips in seeing how much money a terrible game like Destiny can make; imagine if they made a similar game, but it was good.
Also, Dragon Age 4, how you doin’?
What we know we’ll see
Sports. For anyone not enamoured with soccer or gridiron, the hefty sports section of EA’s presser is a great time to make a big old cup of coffee and wonder why you’re awake at this ungodly hour. There are legions of FIFA and Madden fans who hold out for the yearly iterations (despite the similarities from one to the next), and EA will of course make sure to get them excited for the inevitable release in the holiday season.
Something Sims-related is also a safe bet, although it will be hard to top the thrillride that was the Sims 4 DLC Laundry Day.
We’ll also get some more info on DICE’s Battlefield V (at least these guys know how to use Roman numerals, looking at you Activision). They’ve got a live reveal for the game planned for May 23rd, but E3 is a good opportunity to dive deeper into their blockbuster franchise; expect it to be a cornerstone of their presentation.
What do you think EA will show at E3 2018? Anything you think we’ve missed or that you agree with? Let us know in the comments below.
