Earlier this year, in place of its usual E3 presence and showcase, EA hosted its Play Live event this summer to talk about its immediate and future plans for gaming. Alongside games that came out this fall, such as EA Motive's Star Wars Squadrons, there also were teases and discussion about the many EA game studios preparing for the next console generation. There was prototype gameplay shown off from studios like DICE, Criterion, and BioWare, and even EA Motive. Among all of these very early gameplay demonstrations, there was one in particular that didn't resemble anything previously released in the EA studio portfolio, despite not garnering much attention.
One particular project that seemed to fly under the radar after EA Play Live's showcase this summer was EA Motive's new project. After showing off some vague but interesting prototype gameplay, there really wasn't much coverage or speculation as to what it was. Obviously EA Motive's Star Wars Squadrons was the main focus of the studio in the lead up to its release on October 2, but this early test footage could be a vision into the future of EA Motive and whatever the studio's next game will be. This footage is from very early on in development, so the details are subject to change, but it is curious what this new physics demo represents for Motive's creative direction.
What Could EA Motive's Game Be?
For right now, there's really two major paths this unknown games could take: It's either a completely new IP from EA Motive, or it's another effort on EA's behalf to "double down" on its Star Wars game partnership. Back when Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order came out, Respawn Entertainment's first foray into a singleplayer action game was so well received that EA announced they'd be placing even more emphasis on the publisher's partnership with Disney. EA Motive's game (and the recent discovery of job listings) could be evidence of this, though the gameplay shown doesn't really resemble anything that currently exists in the Star Wars universe.
On that note, the more likely scenario is that EA Motive's new open world project is a completely new IP. Actually, rumors and hearsay have been shuffling around about Motive's new IP for a little while, but they've been subtle hints. Pair that with the studio focusing more on its Star Wars properties with Squadrons, and some of the underlying news about the studio's new IP gets lost in the shuffle. EA Motive was a relatively new studio just a few years ago, and before the release of Squadrons, many executives and key members of the game's concept development team (like Jade Raymond) ended up leaving the studio. So there's been some shuffling at EA Motive in the time between the studio's founding and Squadrons' release, but now it seems the studio is moving full steam ahead on its original project.
EA Play Teased Gameplay, But That's Subject to Change
As for the game itself, there was only the slightest tidbit of gameplay shown of Motive's untitled project. All that's known is that the game is being developed specifically for next-gen consoles, and that its gameplay systems have plenty of physics-based applications. Presumably the player's character is seen jumping high heights and jet-packing around what looks like a rudimentary city. This character has some kind of weapon that looks like the Half-Life 2 gravity gun, which in turn allows them to use a magnet-like ability to move objects around in the gameplay space. Considering this game is probably being developed on the Frostbite engine, which prides itself on its physics-based rendering capabilities, this game seems perfect for it.
However, like any early game development footage, it's especially important to take EA Motive's gameplay shown at EA Play Live with a grain of salt. This is a new IP that's been in development for a long time, and likely still has a lot of development time left based on the footage shown, so there's plenty that could still change in the next few years. Even in a most recent developer update from EA Motive, the studio's general manager Patrick Klaus made that very clear:
"In addition to Star Wars: Squadrons, we’re also working on several unannounced projects. Innovation is tough, but it’s also exciting and energizing. With our new mission, we're trying a lot of things and testing many ideas which you can’t get attached to, as iteration and experimentation are healthy and a key to finding something great."
While this doesn't necessarily mean what's shown in the gameplay from EA Play Live isn't relatively final, it does mean that EA Motive is still in an experimenting phase for nailing down gameplay systems. After all, if this game's being designed specifically for next-gen gaming, then EA Motive still theoretically has plenty of time to work on the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Until then, the very whimsical test footage shown of a character soaring through the air and moving blocks with a gravity gun continues to be intriguing.
EA Motive's untitled next-gen project is currently in development.