It won't be long now until E3 2018 is upon us, and Electronic Arts will be setting the pace with its pre-E3 show. While EA's main attractions will be BioWare's Anthem and DICE's Battlefield V, that doesn't necessarily mean the game publisher won't include some unexpected surprises. The company ran a pretty tight ship as far as pre-E3 leaks are concerned, so hopefully the extra effort on behalf of EA's team to hide any secret announcements has kept the lid on a few unknown projects that will get gamers excited.
Fans can watch the livestream for Electronic Arts' E3 2018 press conference at The Palladium in Hollywood directly below, with the festivities beginning at 11:00 AM PT. The company's presence at the expo will officially kick off EA Play 2018, marking the video game publisher’s third year of offering its own exhibition prior to the official E3 show floor.
Anthem and Battlefield V
As previously mentioned, Anthem and Battlefield V are going to be the big guns Electronic Arts is toting this year, with the former looking to take the spot of Destiny as the next big sci-fi shooter RPG experience and the latter contending with the likes of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Without a doubt, EA's competitors are bringing some heavy heat, too, so the company needs Anthem and Battlefield V to leave a big impression that causes other projects to look paltry by comparison.
BioWare will be looking to score big during Electronic Arts' presser, for there's a lot to explain about Anthem insomuch as what players ought to expect from it. So far, the game has been described as one that will allow players to explore a futuristic world filled with monsters to fight. Players will wear customizable exosuits dubbed Javelins and are capable of dishing out different superhuman capabilities. Other than that, though, those looking to learn more about Anthem can watch this gameplay reveal from last year and get brought up to speed on most of what is concretely known about the title so far.
When it comes to DICE, fans should expect the developer to follow up Battlefield V's official reveal from a couple of weeks ago with a look at how the first-person shooter's gameplay holds up. The studio has already announced the details for several features like its Conquest Mode, but it has yet to deliver so much as a peek as to how the game will actually play at launch. Fans should expect some intense firefights from Battlefield V's gameplay shown during the event.
EA Sports
It's the same as it ever was with EA Sports, with the brand set to release its annual slew of fresh sports titles which include the likes of Madden NFL 19, FIFA 19, and NHL 19. Alongside them, of course, will be NBA Live 19, which is highly anticipated at this year's E3 due to the positive acclaim linked to its predecessor, NBA Live 18.
As evidenced in our hands-on experience with the gameplay of NBA Live 18, last year's entry in the basketball series offered up a genuine competitor to the NBA 2K franchise due to its "The One" single-player mode. So, we will be interested to see how EA Sports is planning to fine-tune NBA Live 19 to match its precursor's prowess, and to learn what fresh features are planned for Madden NFL 19, FIFA 19, and NHL 19 as well.
Surprise Star Wars Announcements?
As some Star Wars fans may have noticed, Electronic Arts has been hiring for an open world game set in the franchise's universe, but no public announcements have come of the title thus far. Many have been speculating that this is the project which came from the now-shuttered doors of Visceral Games, as EA cancelled the studio's Star Wars game due to it containing too much linearity.
The most prudent prediction is the confirmation of more Battlefront 2 DLC, but there's always the chance that Respawn Entertainment might show up to unveil its action-adventure Star Wars title. Respawn's game from the science fiction universe is currently projected at a April 2019 to March 2020 release date, so we will have to wait and see if the developer shows up to drop some extra details at E3 2018.
Electronic Arts has somewhat of an advantage by being able to show its wares to everyone before its competitors. After all, many fans' excitement will be quite high at the start of the whole expo's experience, but those same people could easily become inured by the wear and tear of E3 fatigue as it goes on. As such, EA will surely have at the very least established a respectable tone for the event and have stayed on fans' radar.
By all accounts, Electronic Arts should have a solid EA Play 2018 in store. It should be interesting to see what the company plans to bring to the table throughout the rest of this year.
Electronic Arts' E3 2018 press conference begins on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 11:00 AM PT.
