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Watch Electronic Arts' E3 press conference right here!
Electronic Arts is one of the largest third-party publishers in the video game industry, and if you aren't in LA you'll probably want a way to watch their E3 press briefing, right? Well you can do that right here. What's on tap? We're expecting news and footage of the next Battlefield game, lots of sports and even some Star Wars. And that's not all: Mirror's Edge 2, more on Dragon Age: Inquisition have been promised as well as a surprise from Criterion games -- the developer perhaps best known for the crashtacular Burnout racing series. The show starts at 3 pm Eastern or noon Pacific and you can catch it below!
Watch EA's E3 2014 press conference right here [Update: It's over!]
Find out what new games are coming from EA with us on our liveblog and in video form on this page. The action begins at 12:00 p.m. PT (3:00 p.m. ET). The publisher's E3 2014 press conference in Los Angeles will feature games like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Battlefield Hardline, spotlight the latest entries in the Madden, FIFA and NHL series, and maybe dish out some fresh information on the next Mass Effect game from BioWare or Mirror's Edge 2. Update: Show's over, folks! Feel free to check out all of EA's big announcements and rewatch the press event above. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Amazon pre-orders list Battlefield Hardline platforms
Amazon has launched pre-orders for Battlefield Hardline, listing Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC as future locales for the cops-n-robbers-style shooter. Amazon's pre-order page prices Hardline at $59.99 and mirrors the October 21 date shown in a recent trailer. The listing describes Hardline as the crime-focused shooter that materials released by EA (and fans) has led us to imagine, but it also encourages fans to check back on June 9 at 4 pm EST for "more information and videos." [Image: EA]
You can now buy Battlefield 4 item packs with real money
Battlefield 4 developer DICE is now opening up the option for players to purchase in-game content using real money. Starting today, the game's three types of battlepacks can be picked up; $1 for Bronze packs, $2 for Silver ones and $3 for Gold packs. Battlepack tiers vary in the number and rarity of the items within, bronze packs including three items while the gold battlepacks feature five. The packs will still be awarded to players through regular gameplay progression. In-game goodies found in the packs include accessories, knives, profile pictures, emblem shapes, dog tags, experience point boosts and paints The battlepacks are available to purchase through Origin, the developer's Battlelog site, Battlefield 4's in-game store as well as through the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The next game in the series is reportedly known as Battlefield Hardline and is being developed by Visceral Games, according to assets leaked by EA earlier today. [Image: Electronic Arts]
Fans spy Battlefield Hardline assets, revealing police-themed shooter
The next entry in EA's Battlefield franchise abandons the series' traditional military setting in favor of the urban battlegrounds patrolled by civilian police officers, according to a handful of assets leaked by the publisher alongside its latest Battlelog update. Unlike past entries in the series, Battlefield Hardline will not be developed by DICE, but is instead being crafted by Dead Space developer Visceral Games. Despite this, and the change of setting, the game includes at least four distinct character classes, a multiplayer map dubbed "Downtown" and game modes with such names as "Blood Money" and "Bomb Squad." The fan-favorite "Carrier Assault" mode was also listed among the Battlefield Hardline assets. The Battlefield Daily Twitter feed also found images representing the awards to be found in Battlefield Hardline. Each icon looks similar to those found in Battlefield 4, though in lieu of that game's military theme, these awards feature handcuffs, bags of cash (complete with cartoonish money symbols) and a grappling hook - implements you'd expect to see in a bank heist, but not in a Chinese warzone. There's currently no word on when Battlefield Hardline might debut, though it seems very likely that EA will share more on the game at the upcoming E3 conference. We've attempted to contact the publisher in the meantime, in the hopes that it might want to shed light on things a bit early, but have so far received no response. [Image: EA]
EA working to shift older Battlefield games from GameSpy to Origin
Following word that the GameSpy online matchmaking service will cease to be after May 31, EA has revealed plans to move its GameSpy games to the publisher's own online service, Origin. When asked specifically about the fate of online shooters Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, the Origin Twitter account replied with, "We're working on transitioning those games after the shut down so you'll still be able to play them." Later, IGN asked EA for clarification on its plans and were told that work is not yet complete, but more information would appear shortly. "We're working on finding a transition, but still have technical hurdles to overcome," EA said. "We will make an announcement when there is news to share." In the meantime, those hard up for a military shooter can set their sights on the more recent Battlefield 4. After six months of issues, it now works more or less as it should. [Image: EA]
Battlefield 4 enlists platoon support on February 27
The chaotic, virtual warfare of Battlefield 4 is about to grow more organized with tomorrow's addition of platoons. Despite the thematically-appropriate name, these platoons are best thought of as the Battlefield 4 equivalent of officially supported online clans. Up to 100 soldiers can join a given platoon where they will share a unique name tag and emblem with their fellow grunts. A private Battlelog feed will be available to each platoon, alongside a public feed useful for kicking off fights with other other groups of virtual soldiers. Developer DICE also notes that each member will have the "ability to earn stats for your platoon and rank it up," though those ranks are ornamental and offer no tangible reward beyond bragging rights. Hoping to avoid another Battlefield 4 server crush, DICE plans to roll out platoon support gradually over the course of a week. Both Premium and Standard iterations of the game will receive the feature at the same time, though a Premium membership and a rank of at least 10 will be required to create your own platoon. [Image: EA]
Battlefield 4 connectivity issues continue across 'various platforms'
DICE posted an alert on its support forums for Battlefield 4 to warn players of ongoing connectivity issues across multiple platforms. This is the latest update in a string of problems the game has faced since its launch in late October, which has seen multiple patches go live in the past few weeks. The game's support forums note that the developer is "continuing to monitor some intermittent connectivity issues affecting some players across various platforms." Though no other information is provided in the alert, DICE's Battlefield 4 issues tracker mentioned that it is investigating a bug that is "accounting for a large amount of crashes" on Xbox 360. Among the other problems encountered by Battlefield players are reports that the game's China Rising DLC failed to carry over from PS3 to PS4, for players that made the switch to the next-gen system. As a result of its constant problems, multiple law firms have launched investigations into EA to determine whether the publisher intentionally mislead investors on the game's state leading up to its release.
Battlefield 4 PC servers hit by DDOS, while crashes plague PS4 version
This past weekend was a rough one for Battlefield 4, with DDoS attacks hitting the PC game and myriad crashes infesting the newly-launched PS4 version. Over the past few days, it has been nigh-impossible to connect to servers in the PC iteration of Battlefield 4 thanks to an unnamed group attacking EA's Origin servers. Initially the publisher posted a statement to the main page of Battlelog stating that attacks were occurring and that the company was working to mitigate them, but as Kotaku reports, this message has since been removed. Despite this, one of the game's community representatives offers the following in the game's forums: "[W]e are being targeted by a DDOS, but working on fixing it asap. Im sorry somebody is ruining your and my day. Rest assured we are doing our best to mitigate the situation though." The PlayStation 4 game saw even worse issues, with players reporting crashes, a total inability to connect to Battlefield 4's "Conquest" game type and periodically deleted save games. EA's immediate response involved adding a new server and issuing a sizable patch, but as I can personally attest, the crashes and deleted save files continue to be an issue for some players. On Sunday, the publisher posted a message to its Help site pinning the blame on the PS4's recent 1.50 firmware update. Specifically, it claimed that "this update ... results in stability issues while playing games on the system," and that all games are affected, not just Battlefield 4. This message has since been retracted, and in its place you'll now find a simple, "The message on EA's Help site was posted in error."
Xbox One Kinect tracks head lean, voice commands in Battlefield 4
When Battlefield 4 hits the Xbox One, it will bring with it a few new Kinect options that make your own body movements part of the virtual firefight. Most novel are the device's head-tracking capabilities. According to Polygon, if your Kinect senses your head tilting far enough to the left or right, your in-game character will mirror this action, carefully leaning out of cover to line up a shot (or have his or her fool head blown off). Voice commands are likewise supported, allowing players to call for more ammo, medical assistance or a ride from any characters currently driving a vehicle. Though the Xbox One (and PS4) iteration of Battlefield 4 launches on November 19, the Xbox One itself won't debut until November 22. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game are currently available.
'High-end' Battlefield coming to mobile, Gibeau says
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau has discussed an upcoming "high-end and high performance" Battlefield game designed for mobile devices. In an interview with the New York Times, Gibeau was asked if Battlefield could potentially be enjoyed on the smaller screen of a mobile device. Gibeau noted that the game's Commander Mode lends itself very well to a tablet screen, then said, "We are working on a mobile game of Battlefield that will be high-end and high-performance." "It's our bet that we can successfully pull that off. But we're embarking on something no one has ever done before - to get these games to inter-operate between platforms. Will it work? It already has in some cases. Will it work for all franchises? Not all franchises will make the transition." "Battlefield might be a little harder," Gibeau added. News of a high-end, mobile Battlefield game is novel but not entirely surprising. In May we reported on EA's Frostbite Go engine, which would allow for console-esque graphical fidelity on comparatively underpowered mobile devices. Frostbite Go is a slimmed-down adaptation of the same Frostbite engine which currently powers the Battlefield franchise.
Battlefield 4 beta feedback spurs bug fixes and balance tweaks
The Battlefield 4 beta served two purposes: It hyped up fans for the game's launch later this month by offering a small taste of what's to come in multiplayer and it gave EA crucial preliminary data for last-minute tweaks on the eve of release. In a missive on the Battlefield blog, developer DICE has detailed some of the persistent issues from the beta: On PC, players encountered inconsistent frame rates, loading screen issues and spontaneously high CPU usage; on Xbox 360 and PS3, known problems included limited control schemes and empty servers populating throughout the server browser; and across all platforms, elevators were mysteriously catapulting players far off into the sky. While that last one sounds hilarious, it certainly wasn't intentional. Some of the more granular changes to infantry and vehicles, for example, can be seen in the full patch notes over on the Battlefield blog. DICE assures all of the above issues, including more, are being worked on for Battlefield 4's launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 29. Xbox One and PS4 versions of Battlefield 4 will be available alongside those consoles' respective launches.
Maingear rolls out Battlefield 4-themed gaming PCs with Radeon R9 graphics
Do you like Battlefield so much that you bleed blue and orange? You'll like Maingear's new Battlefield 4-branded Shift (pictured at left) and F131 (right) gaming PCs, then. Both special editions will ship with BF4-themed case artwork, desktop wallpaper and codes to download the game itself. They'll also have performance that does justice to EA's military shooter, as Maingear is equipping the two desktops with AMD's just-launched Radeon R9 290X video cards. Pre-orders for the BF4 systems start today; the F131 will set you back $2,199 with one R9 290X inside, while the Shift carries two cards and a heftier $3,789 base price.
Battlefield 4 beta includes options for the colorblind
Developer DICE has included a host of options in the Battlefield 4 beta test designed to make the game easier to play for those who suffer from colorblindness. Those who suffer from colorblindness generally see a distorted field of colors, different from those seen by the non-colorblind. By changing certain hues within the game to those the colorblind are more easily able to discern, DICE is able to make Battlefield 4 far more inclusive to potential virtual soldiers. As Reddit user Orli155 points out, the squad colors in the Battlefield 4 beta can be altered to appear more recognizable to those suffering from Deuteranopia, Tritanopia or Protanopia - three of the most prevalent forms of colorblindness. The Battlefield 4 beta is currently ongoing on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The game is slated to make its retail debut on October 29.
Battlefield won't give up until it's 'number one'
Ahead of the game's October 29 launch, EA Games executive VP Patrick Soderlund recently talked up Battlefield 4, discussing the series' competition with Activision's Call of Duty. "Competition is good. It brings the best out of people. If there was only Battlefield or only Call of Duty, then the development teams might have been a little bit more content," Soderlund told MCV. He added that the developer doesn't mimic Activision's efforts on the Call of Duty series. "Maybe they weren't thinking about us much when we made Battlefield 3, but I can tell you, they are thinking about us now. They need to," Soderlund said. "We made a dent in the FPS market and we took share from them. And I am not going to give up until I'm No.1 and I am going to make sure I'm No.1."
Camelot Unchained producer's letter talks new race, development progress
Tyler Rockwell recently joined the crew of City State Entertainment as producer for Camelot Unchained, and recently took a few thousand words to introduce himself to Kickstarter backers and CU fans via producer's letter. The update covers Rockwell's design history, introduction to the games industry, and recent migration to CSE's Virginia studios, in addition to a few developmental points regarding Camelot Unchained. According to Rockwell, he is working to learn everything he can about the game and its community while simultaneously unrolling new task-tracking software and getting up to speed on what CU's team is doing. Current projects include updates to the internal patcher, further development of the game's networking system, polish on the engine's character importer, the creation of a brand-new race, and the synchronization of team animators and designers working on a variety of tasks. Rockwell said he considers himself the member of the team that's there to help everyone get the job done, similar to a Battlefield sniper or League of Legends healer. He also included a bit of concept art as "a not-too-subtle hint of what [CSE's] modeler is working on right now," which you can see after the jump.
Battlefield 4 beta launching in early October
Battlefield 4 has already gotten a bit of love at this year's Gamescom, being named as one of 23 Xbox One launch titles, but the shooter had even more time to shine as one of the titles that took center stage at EA's press event. At the top of the list of announcements for the FPS was a bit more specificity around when we're actually going to see the beta. The fall date that we got back in March has been narrowed down to early October, which should give you just about enough time to perfect your aim.
Daily Roundup: Moto X review, Laptop buyer's guide, Samsung's Galaxy event, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Age of Wushu says 'I do!' to marriage, ultimate scrolls
If you haven't had enough to do in Age of Wushu yet, then you are one easily bored cookie. But never fear, Snail Games is here! The team has been frantically adding more systems to the game to flesh out the martial arts title, and now players can get married, gain ultimate scrolls, and try out a couple of new PvP modes. The marriage system in Age of Wushu is more complicated than in other MMOs. A dowry must be given, a wedding package purchased, and a special team task performed. The benefits for the happy couple are several, however, including rings that teleport each of them to their spouse. Players can now attempt to obtain the most powerful skills for their respective schools through ultimate scrolls. Unlike other skills, players are restricted to getting an ultimate scroll only from their dedicated combat school. These skills are good to take into the PvP battlefield, where death modes and faction modes await.
EA product manager Kevin Flynn defects, joins Call of Duty team
Kevin Flynn, who's worked for the last two years as a senior product manager for EA's UK arm, has left to join Activision's UK side as a senior brand manager on Call of Duty. Flynn's previous efforts for EA include launching Battlefield 3 and its subsequent Premium DLC campaigns in the region. Flynn enlisted with the Call of Duty squad this month, which we imagine must be the busiest time to sign on for an Activision paycheck. With Call of Duty: Ghosts launching on November 5 and next week's next-generation engine reveal during the Xbox event on May 21, we just hope Mr. Flynn is finding adequate time for his lunch break every day. A hungry worker is not a happy worker!
