electronicarts
Latest
Respawn's 'Apex Legends' battle royale is available now
As was widely expected, EA-owned Titanfall developer Respawn has launched its free-to-play battle royale game, Apex Legends. The fundamentals are pretty familiar: drop into an enclosed map with teammates, gear up with the best loot you can find and take out all the other teams, all while the play area keeps shrinking. What sets the latest entrant into the genre apart from formidable rivals such as Fortnite, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4's Blackout mode is its use of character-specific special abilities.
A battle royale game is coming from the creators of 'Titanfall'
Rumors have swirled all weekend of Titanfall creator Respawn developing its own battle royale game, and... well, they're true. Geoff Keighley and pro player Myth have confirmed the existence of Apex Legends, a last-one-standing game to be unveiled and released on February 4th. They're not saying more at this stage, to no one's surprise, but esports consultant Rod Breslau understood it would be a free-to-play game with classes, up to 60 players in total, three players per team and no Titans -- sorry, folks, you won't pilot a giant robot to victory.
EA stops selling 'FIFA' currency in Belgium due to loot box law
When Belgium declared that loot boxes were illegal and amounted to gambling, EA didn't react well -- it not only defended the practice, it refused to honor the law and insisted its practice was legal. Authorities saw things differently, however, and EA is backing down. The publisher is halting sales of the FIFA series' in-game currency (FIFA Points) in the country by January 31st after "further discussions with the Belgian authorities." Footie fans can still use any points they have left after that moment, but they'll otherwise have to earn content the old-fashioned way.
EA's open-world 'Star Wars' game is no more
Remember EA's open-world Star Wars game that promised bounty hunting across the series' universe? Anyone? No? Doesn't matter, it's been scrapped. EA Vancouver has cancelled the project, reports Kotaku, which it inherited in 2017 after shutting down its subsidiary -- and the title's original developer -- Visceral Games (of Dead Space fame).
EA's Black Friday deals discount 'FIFA 19' and 'Madden 19' by half
Thinking of buying a new console in the Black Friday sales? You may need a side of virtual sports to go with your main course. Enter EA: the publisher is heavily discounting its biggest titles to catch your eye and wallet. On offer are FIFA 19, Madden 19, and NHL 19 (including the Wayne Gretzky 99 Edition), all with 50 percent off their asking price at select retailers from November 22nd through to November 27th. And for basketball fans, there's 60 percent off NBA Live 19, while UFC 3 will be 75 percent cheaper.
'FIFA 19' has everything it needs to be the best
I've always tried to love FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer equally, though there are years when one franchise wins me over the other -- even if it's by a tiny bit. You can always count on the game mechanics of Konami's PES to be a pleasure to play, but EA Sports' advantage with FIFA has been that it owns the official licenses to the biggest clubs and players. I don't know about you, but I'd rather play with Manchester United than Man Red. This year, the most important change to FIFA 19 is the addition of the UEFA Champions League, Europe's premier club competition, which had featured on PES since 2008. EA Sports didn't need the Champions League to make FIFA great, but it was basically the only thing it was missing. And now, at the expense of PES, it's finally here.
'FIFA 19' demo gives you an early taste of The Journey this week
It's that time of year again: FIFA demo season. The demo's 2019 installment for, you guessed it FIFA 19, will be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One September 13th, around two weeks before the full game. The playable teaser features 10 teams total including UEFA Champions League clubs Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
EA delays 'Battlefield V' to November 20th
DICE knows a thing or two about the perils of shipping a game before it's ready. That's why it and Electronic Arts are pushing the release date for Battlefield V back by almost a month. The World War II shooter will now be released on November 20th instead of October 19th. That puts it out of spitting distance of Red Dead Redemption 2 (out October 26th), the game seemingly every other publisher is trying to avoid on calendar.
How 'Anthem' balances story and shared-world action
BioWare's next blockbuster RPG, Anthem, comes out in less than six months. We know little about the project, though, despite its extensive showing at E3. The studio has explained the basics; it's a sci-fi epic that combines BioWare storytelling with the cooperative action and shared world structure of games like Destiny and The Division. We've seen a mission that takes place in the harsh, monster-riddled wilderness, and how all the different exo-suits -- known as javelins -- provide different tactical advantages. The team has also teased a town called Fort Tarsis that acts as a single-player story hub. But how does it all fit together?
Federal court orders alleged hacker to pay for bail with cryptocurrency
Defendants in US federal court cases now have another option for staying out on bail: emptying their virtual wallets. A district court in San Francisco has ordered alleged hacker Martin Marsich to pay the equivalent of $750,000 in cryptocurrency if he wants to live in a halfway house while facing trial. It's not clear if this is the first instance of an American court accepting digital currency for bail (Assistant District Attorney Abraham Simmons expressed doubt about it to the Daily Post). However, it's likely a novelty at the federal level.
EA's design chief is leaving the company
EA's turmoil isn't over yet. Chief Design Officer Patrick Söderlund is leaving the publisher after years in various positions, and mere months after receiving a promotion to his current role. It's not clear why he's leaving or where he'll go next, but he'll transition out over the course of three months as the company reshuffles itself to accommodate his exit. The cross-disciplinary SEED team will join EA's studios group, while Ubisoft and Zynga veteran Jason Wozencroft is joining the company to lead user experience design. EA's Orignals and Partners teams, meanwhile, are folding into its Strategic Growth unit.
EA will launch its premium Origin Access subscription next week
When EA's Origin Access service launched in 2016, it gave PC gamers the chance to try out a selection of games from 'The Vault' -- an expanding catalog of EA titles -- for a monthly subscription fee. One caveat was that, like PlayStation Plus and Games with Gold, the lineup wasn't always filled with the most recent releases. However, with Origin Access Premier, a higher tier subscription originally unveiled during E3 and set to go live next week, you'll finally be able to get your fix.
EA buys studio from the co-creator of 'Halo'
EA is still covering very familiar ground with most of its games. However, it's willing to branch out a bit: the publisher has acquired Industrial Toys, the studio from former Bungie CEO and Halo co-creator Alex Seropian. His team will join EA's Worldwide Studios team and help it produce "new game concepts." Don't expect him to simply recreate his best-known game, especially when his team includes just 14 people.
'Uncharted' creative director Amy Hennig is going indie
Amy Hennig, former writer and creative director of the Uncharted series for PlayStation's Naughty Dog studio, is striking out on her own. After EA shut down Visceral Games she left the company in January to start her "own little independent studio," according to GamesIndustry.biz. "I would love to have a little company of about six to eight people, 15 at the most, and then do smaller projects," she told journalists gathered at Barcelona's Gamelab.
RIP, 'Pro Evolution Soccer'
I have a mild obsession with FIFA video games, largely because I like playing with official teams and players rather than fictional ones. But, I always gave Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) a chance. Two years ago, I even wrote that Konami's title was actually better than EA Sports', much to the the disbelief of many of my football friends. A big reason I always kept coming back to PES (aside from its more realistic gameplay) was the fact it had licensing rights for the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Europe's most prestigious club tournament. Since 2008, FIFA players have had to make do with a generic version that EA Sports created, which simply wasn't good enough. You need that UCL orchestral theme song and the original trophy to make the competition feel real. But thing will be changing soon, and Pro Evolution Soccer is going to suffer as a result.
How EA talks about loot boxes depends on who's listening
Electronic Arts is in a familiar position: Apology mode. The company spent a lot of time on Saturday self-flagellating in front of a global audience, recapping the mistakes it's made in the past year while promising that it won't make them again. EA wants you to know that it has changed; that it isn't the same company that put pay-to-win progression systems and loot boxes in two of its biggest games last fall. "We are always trying to learn and listen, and are striving to be better," CEO Andrew Wilson said before closing out the keynote address. He continued that, for people that purchase his company's games, he wants them to feel like they're being treated fairly. "No one is given an unfair advantage — or disadvantage — for how they choose to play. That for every moment you invest, you feel like you're rewarded, and you're given value for that investment."
‘FIFA 19’ has a lot more to offer than just Champions League
In a matter of weeks, Europe's biggest annual soccer competition, the Champions League, went from one video game franchise to its bitter rival. When UEFA ended its partnership with Konami, an agreement that allowed Pro Evolution Soccer to offer the club tournament, it was only a matter of time before EA jumped on the chance to add the competition to its FIFA franchise. The addition of Champions League will undoubtedly give FIFA 19 more depth, especially in its "The Journey" story mode, but the updates to gameplay are equally as important.
'Unravel Two' is a cooperative sequel and it's out right now
Yarny is back, right here and right now. Unravel Two is the sequel to 2016's Unravel, an adorable and emotional platformer starring a tiny character made out of bright red yarn, developed by indie studio Coldwood Interactive. The new game introduces a second, blue Yarny. Players are able to control both characters or puzzle out the entire thing with a friend in co-op mode. And best of all, Unravel Two is available today on PlayStation 4, PC and Xbox One for $20, published via EA Originals.
'Madden' returns to PC this fall
With Madden 18, EA introduced "Longshot," which brought a story mode to the popular football franchise. This year, the big news (at least for right now) is that the game will return to PC when its annual installment arrives this fall. This is the first time you've had that option in about 10 years. So far at E3 2018, EA hasn't gone into a ton of detail about the other changes we'll see in Madden 19 -- like if that story mode will return -- but we're sure to hear more soon. At any rate, you'll be able to play the game on August 7th, including a "Hall of Fame Edition" with some of the all-time great players.
UEFA Champions League is coming to 'FIFA 19'
EA has been keen on telling the story of English soccer phenom Alex Hunter for a while now, but his story is about to be told from another perspective. With FIFA 19, EA is adding UEFA Champions League to the game. This move was hardly a surprise though, since UEFA ended its partnership with Konami back in April. However, it's still a big get for EA, bringing the big club tournament in the world to its soccer franchise. It also allows EA to pad its options on the pitch, following the recent addition of the World Cup.
