E3 2018: EA Roundup

It’s here – E3 2018 has officially started.

Contrary to the official E3 tweet, Day 1 of the biggest gaming event of the year is underway. If you weren’t there to watch the official livestream, you’re probably wondering what got shown and what got announced. Thankfully, we have the full list here to show you!

Battlefield V: Battle Royale Mode Introduced

Since the announcement of Battlefield V a few weeks ago, a lot of details have been revealed, and a lot have been up in the air as to what the game will involve. With the small trailers that EA Dice showed, they confirmed that Battlefield V would be getting a Battle Royale mode later in the game’s lifetime. They also confirmed that the campaign would follow the same “War Stories” format prevalent in Battlefield 1.

The Battle Royale mode has yet to receive a date, and what the campaign will involve will be discovered when the game releases on the 21st October 2018.

Respawn Developing New Star Wars Game: “Jedi Fallen Order”

In between the next two big announcements, EA Play’s host, Trending Gamer of the Year Andrea Rene, quickly went into the crowd to talk to Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn Entertainment, the team behind the critically acclaimed Titanfall franchise. In the brief chat they had, Mr. Zampella confirmed that their team was working on a new Star Wars game, titled Jedi Fallen Order. Zampella didn’t explain much aside from that, only mentioning brief details about it being set between Episodes III & IV, and that you would be playing as a Jedi.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is currently slated for a Holiday 2019 release.

Star Wars Battlefront II Getting Clone Wars Content

With the rocky history that Star Wars Battlefront II has had, staining its potential promise for seemingly forever, it’s only fair that EA Dice would pull out all of the stops for content additions. Today they announced some long-requested content additions, in the form of playable heroes and maps from the Clone Wars era, including General Grievous, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. They also have confirmed that they’ll be adding content and characters from the recent Solo film also, including Young Han Solo and Young Lando Calrissian.

These content updates for Star Wars Battlefront II will be added on June 12th.

Unravel Two Announced, Available To Play Right Now!

Coldwood Interactive, developers of the first Unravel, had a certain trick up their sleeve in the EA conference. In a shock reveal, the company’s creative director Martin Sahlin came onto the stage to announce that not only were they here to reveal Unravel Two, but the game was also available to play right now!

In the sequel, you now have the option to play local co-op with a friend, adding another adorable Yarny in a dark blue hue, contrasting against the original Yarny’s bright red. The game still utilizes and retains the same elements as the previous title, along with co-op mechanics used to traverse the game’s harsh world. Players who prefer a single-player experience need not fret however, as the demonstration also showed fans that the game could in fact be completed solo, with the player taking control of both Yarnies.

Unravel Two is available to play right now, and Xbox One offers a 10% discount if you’re a part of their subscription service, EA Access.

New EA Original Game Announced: “Sea of Solitude”

Keeping the connection going with indie darlings, the creative director of Jo-Mei Games, Cornelia Geppert, came to the stage to show off their new game, Sea of Solitude, an exploration-based video game. Described as being “a mix between Inside & Studio Ghibli”, Geppert described the game as being their most personal and artistic project yet, following the story of Kay as she explores her demons.

Sea of Solitude is expected to release in Early 2019.

New Command & Conquer Mobile Game Announced

EA has started focusing more on mobile titles as of late, with Madden Mobile being an example of that. Following this trend, the gaming community’s favourite corporation revealed a new mobile title under the Command & Conquer name, Command & Conquer: Rivals. Looking to be a new take on the Clash Of Clans formula, it looks to mix Real-Time Strategy elements with Tower Defense mechanics.

There’s an early access version of Rivals available for Android users on the Google Play Store right now, with the release date TBA.

Anthem Gameplay Showcased

The biggest game in EA’s arsenal at the moment is Bioware’s new IP, Anthem, which premiered at EA’s E3 showcase last year .Bringing a few Bioware employees to the stage, the team showed a gameplay trailer along with some of the admittedly spectacular set pieces. They also stated that Anthem would be featuring drop-in/drop-out co-op, with the opportunity to play solo available also.

More will be revealed in the future, with the game set for a February 22nd 2019 release date.

EA’s Continued Dominance of the Sports Genre

As expected, EA devoted quite sometime to their ever-growing arsenal of sports titles. No surprises were to be seen as they gave a few sparse details on titles such as Madden 19, NBA Live 19 and FIFA 19. The only notable announcements were that the FIFA franchise had attained the rights to use the Champions League license for their 2019 entry, as well as the Madden series detailing a new story-mode, off the back of its premiere in Madden 18.