EA E3 2016 Conference Recap

EA E3 2016 Conference Recap

The EA press conference opens with Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, discussing why the company chose to host EA Play, stating that the event is taster, allowing attendees of E3 to get a hands-on experience with the games, while also providing them with invaluable feedback, good or bad. The conference then turns to Peter Moore, Chief Competition Officer at EA, in the second location of EA Play, the Hammersmith Apollo, London, before heading into the main reveal. 

Titanfall 2

Vince Zampella of Respawn is first out to talk about Titanfall 2, and starts off by confirming that the title will be available on Xbox One, PC and PS4, before showing us some gameplay.

The game features more of the jetpack assisted, parkour style gameplay, which allows players to traverse the battlefield with ease, as well as grappling hooks, which can be used for travel or grappling enemies. There is a wider variation of mechs, six in total, that feature shockwave attacks and giant lasers, in addition to deeper customisation options.

To a great reaction, Zampella also confirms a single player campaign, which promises to show how the bond between pilot and mech is formed, as well as a deeper examination into the world and lore of Titanfall.

The current scheduled release is October 28th.

Madden NFL 17

Next up is the latest entry into the Madden franchise, Madden NFL 17, as Peter Moore reveals the new in-game graphics, a new commentary team, a revamped Franchise Mode and the ability to take your team to the Super Bowl.

Moore also talks about eSports and EA’s desire to open the competitive community to everyone through their new Challenger, Premier and EA Major events.

- Challenger will be tournaments that players can host themselves, making their own brackets.

- Premier will be EA hosted events with partners in and out of the gaming world.

- EA Major will be large events, similar to those in the Gfinity Arena, bringing the best players in the world to a live venue.

EA will be placing a million dollars into the Madden World Championships, which will span four EA Majors, with more events to be announced. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda

Arryn Flair, General Manager of BioWare is next to talk about Mass Effect: Andromeda. Flair focuses on how the player is now the alien in this galaxy, the outsider in a brand new adventure, as the protagonist is frozen and sent to a new galaxy.

There will be a new cast and a lot more freedom than in previous games and Mass Effect: Andromeda will be fully powered by Frostbite. The trailer shows behind the scenes of the artwork and planning that is going into the game, with flashes of new gameplay. More information is set to come in autumn.

EA Play To Give

Next is EA Play To Give, a new program launched alongside five charities, including the National Center for Women Information Technology, code.org, CODE2040, HeForShe and Special Effect. The EA Play To Give scheme will introduce new in-game objectives within games such as Star Wars Battlefront, FIFA 16 and Battlefield that reward teamwork, and will result in $1 Million being donated at the end of EA Play.

The full list of challenges can be found here 

FIFA 17

FIFA 17 is up next with a display of the game's history, as EA showcase their latest instalment of the franchise, powered by the Frostbite Engine.  

EA also reveal a brand new story mode within FIFA, The Journey.

The trailer focuses on a young player, Alex Hunter, who like most kids, has dreamed about being in a Cup final, or representing your country in a national stadium, but struggles with the pressure of the real world, as his dream become a reality.

The trailer also showcases the Premier League, as Jose Mourhino, the brand new Manchester United manager walks on stage, confirming that he will be in the game.

EA also confirmed that the story will be controlled by the player, through choices off and on the pitch. They state they worked on new AI, set pieces and new attacking technology, working with real players to capture moves and how they personally manoeuvre on the pitch, making for a more flowing game. The game will be released in September.

Fe

EA Originals is next, as our focus switches to small developers, similar to Unravel's Coldwood Studios, who need EA’s support to promote and release their games. The initiative promises to issue all the profit to those who developed it.

The first game to benefit from the project is Fe, which, as the head of the studio explained, is a game about our relationship with nature, reminding us that everything in our world is connected. You play as a young cub that is exploring a world unknown to them, learning how every living being has their own song, with each learned song bringing the player closer to the secret of the forest.

The game looks to be a 3D platformer, with the cub using it's songs to fight, explore and befriend. No release date yet.

Star Wars

Jade Raymond of Motive Studios is moving onto Star Wars, as she explore the history of Star Wars games and how various studios want to continue the legacy. A new instalment of Battlefront is coming, which hopes to utilise fan feedback to create a brilliant game.

It was also revealed that Visceral will be bringing us a new Action Adventure game in 2018, as well as Respawn, who will release a 3D Acton Adventure game.

The behind the scenes footage shows various art assets, as well as motion capture lightsaber duels. We also got a sneak peek of some early in-game footage showing a desert plant, as well as ship fights, however, we received no concrete information as to what game they are from.

Battlefield 1

Finally, Battlefield 1 its appearance. To open the show, EA talked about how Battlefield 1 came to be, how two members of the team in Stockholm pushed for the setting of World War 1, and from the reaction of the public, the risk was definitely worth it.

A new trailer shows a gun fight within a tank and an air fight with biplanes and a blimp. Patrick Back, GM of Dice, talks about their desire to create a fantastic user experience, with no battle ever being the same - emphasising on factors such as;

• The dynamic weather system, which will change the weather mid-match
• Destruction physics, which are more natural and fluid than ever before, forcing players to change their routes and tactics
• Adding a level of realism players will join the development team every step of the way.
• The introduction of ‘Behemoth’ vehicles, the biggest ever vehicles in the Battlefields history, including the aforementioned blimps.

The conference ends on a new trailer, showing off gunfights, vehicle warfare, new map locations, including marshland, deserts and small towns. In addition to this, horses and trench shovels have also been confirmed for Battlefield 1. The current worldwide release date is October 21st. 

A lot of the usual suspects this year, with the biggest surprises being Fe as well as the introduction of a story mode to FIFA. What did you make of EA’s press conference? 

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