Xbox's latest in an ever-growing list of acquisitions, this time grabbing Activision Blizzard for the monumental sum of $68 billion, has left EA at the top of the third-party publishing pyramid. While other third-party studios, like Capcom, Square Enix, and Ubisoft are comfortably sitting alongside it, EA has had a fairly substantial grip on the video game publishing market for a while, and less competition is certainly a good thing in EA's eyes.
Thankfully, EA's upcoming slate of games looks like it may justify their position at the top of the publishing world. With long-awaited sequels to beloved series in the works, brand-new IPs having a chance to shine, and remakes of old classics in the pipeline, EA seems to have something for everyone, although some of these projects are still quite a ways off.
Grid Legends
The only EA game actually confirmed to be releasing this year, Grid Legends is the next in Codemasters' long-running racing series. Codemasters was recently acquired by EA in February 2021, and this marks their second game with the publisher after F1 2021.
Grid Legends seems as though it's going for a more story-based approach than its predecessors, with a dedicated campaign mode called "Driven to Glory." The story seems to be a fairly generic racing tale of rising up the ranks and achieving glory, but the game will feature some live-action cutscenes that might add a cinematic quality to the game.
Grid Legends is said to feature over 130 tracks, and over 100 vehicles, so there's plenty for fans to dig into. Grid Legends is slated for release February 25, 2022, and will arrive on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
Dragon Age 4
BioWare is hard at work on the next installment in the Dragon Age franchise, designed to be another singleplayer action/adventure-RPG that focuses on relatable characters, and choices that actually matter. While Dragon Age fans have only been given several brief teaser trailers, they have managed to pick out some key details that could hint at the game's story and setting.
Dragon Age 4 looks like it may be set in Tevinter, a brand-new location that was referenced at the end of Dragon Age: Inquistions "Trespasser" DLC. The game's story looks like it may revolve around the return of Solas, who was revealed to be The Dread Wolf towards the end of Inquisition's main story. No release window has been given for Dragon Age 4 just yet.
A New Mass Effect Title
BioWare is going to have a busy few years. Not content with just developing a sequel to one of the most beloved fantasy RPG series, BioWare is also working on a new Mass Effect game. Details on the new game are practically non-existent, with only one short trailer being shown, depicting an Asari picking up a piece of metal that has "N7" marked on it. While fans have speculated that this could be Liara T'Soni, this hasn't been confirmed yet.
Much of the original trilogy's developers are working on this new game, and the Unreal Engine is being used again, as opposed to Andromeda's Frostbite engine, so the game looks to be in good hands. Unfortunately, the new Mass Effect likely won't release until after Dragon Age 4, so fans are going to have to wait at least another few years or so.
Dead Space Remake
Being led by Motive Studio, the team behind the recent Star Wars: Squadrons, a Dead Space Remake is in the works. While Motive is going to stick to the original game's story, atmosphere, and gameplay as much as possible, it is making a few gameplay tweaks, like adding a "peeling" system for damaging enemies, and bringing Dead Space 2's zero gravity mechanics to the game. It may be awhile before fans get another look at the remake, but Motive is being quite communicative to ensure that it's getting it right.
A New Need For Speed
Being developed by Burnout creators Criterion Games, a new Need For Speed title is apparently dropping in Q4 of 2022, likely during the holiday season. While Criterion didn't create the Need For Speed series, it has produced some of the best entries in the Need for Speed franchise, such as Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit, so hopefully this new one should be a step-up from the last few entries.
Skate 4
A game that fans have been waiting for, Skate 4 was finally announced at E3 2020. Following the announcement, the producers of the game released a statement saying that work had only just begun on Skate 4, and that it'd be awhile before fans saw anymore from the game. No release window has been given for Skate 4, but it is said to feature a full open-world, and will put a focus on user-generated content.
RustHeart
Part of the EA Originals program, RustHeart is an action-RPG that revolves around a tall, lumbering robot companion. The game was announced in 2019, and is being worked on by Glowmade, a UK developer that contains some former Lionhead staff, the developer behind Fable. No release window has been given for RustHeart.
EA and Respawn's Three Star Wars Games
A fairly recent announcement, EA is currently working on three separate Star Wars titles, with Respawn Entertainment taking the development helm. The first Star Wars game in the works is a sequel to the incredibly successful Jedi Fallen Order, a souls-like with tight combat mechanics and a good Star Wars story.
EA is also producing a first-person shooter, along with a strategy game. The FPS game is being worked on by Peter Hirschmann, who was the executive producer for the original Battlefront games, and the strategy title is being developed by BitReactor, a team consisting of multiple former XCOM devs. Release dates haven't been given for any of these titles.
EA Sports College Football
EA is making a return to the college football scene, something it hasn't done since NCAA Football 14. No gameplay has been shown yet, but the game will apparently feature over 100 colleges, and will use players' likenesses. It's rumored that the game may release in Summer 2023
EA Sports PGA Tour
Being marketed as a true next-gen golfing experience, EA Sports' new PGA Tour will mark the publisher's first licensed golf game since Rory McIlroy PGA Tour, which released in 2015. The new game will feature women's golf and will let players compete in the four major golf championships. PGA Tour was delayed from Spring 2022, and hasn't been given a new release date.
Other Possible EA Projects
Alongside all of these confirmed releases, there's a few EA games that have yet to be announced, but are almost-definitely on the cards. EA's series of annual sports titles, such as Madden, FIFA, NFL, NHL, and F1, for instance, are practically guaranteed to appear towards the end of the year.
EA has also created two new studios, one in Seattle that is being led by Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of Halo, and one being led by Kevin Stephens, the former VP of Monolith. Allegedly, the Seattle studio is working on a Battlefield game, while Stephens' studio is working on an unknown open-world project.