E3 2017 - EA Overview

Here we go, E3 2017 kicks off with EA’s press ‘conference’. We expected the usual suspects of the EA Sports sequels, but what else did we get?

New Battlefield 1 DLC

Fans of last year’s release Battlefield 1 will be pleased to hear the announcement of the second batch of DLC coming to the game. In the Name of the Tsar will be coming out in September 2017. The pack will include six new maps, which along with the two new maps coming in June and July (for those with a Premium Pass), means there will be eight maps in total for gamers to explore and master. If you’re looking for an extra challenge some of these will be night maps, adding a new dimension of gameplay. As the title indicates, the expansion will be set in the snowy environment of Russia, as you take on the role of the Russian army, and excitingly the Women’s Battalion of Death.

A Way Out

Arguably the most exciting and surprising announcement at EA Play this year is a new IP from Hazelight called simply A Way Out. The game is a cooperative experience, and will be played with a split screen view, regardless of whether you’re playing online or locally. It’s nice to see players being encouraged to play in the same room again, as over the past few years this is something that has been massively declining.

The game itself is based around two prisoners escaping from behind bars and staying out. Think Prison Break but interactive.

Anthem

One new IP isn’t enough for EA, as they announce Bioware’s new venture (and probably where all of the money for Mass Effect: Andromeda went) - Anthem. Very little info is actually given about the game bar a short teaser trailer. Envision post-apocalyptic, overgrown jungle, mech suits, and grandiose beasts roaming the lands. More information on the game can be found here in a trailer that played during the Microsoft conference.

Star Wars Battlefront 2

We’re all aware of Star Wars Battlefront 2 releasing in November 2017, and EA definitely chose to focus on this IP as their gold star of the conference with a half hour livestream at the end of EA Play. Once more EA are encouraging couch co-op, and there’s a ton of stuff for fans to look forward to including a new class system, a battlepoints system and a complete overhaul of the weapons gameplay. The season pass is also being entirely ditched and replaced with...microtransations - huzzah!

The single-player story of this game will be set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, so will allow us to experience a story that of yet has been untold. And those of us who love the new films will be pleased to hear that you will be able to play as Captain Phasma and Finn, among others.

Everything Else

EA have of course announced a butt ton of new game sequels that will please those of the sport-loving persuasion. Madden 18, FIFA 18 (along with more The Journey content), NBA Live 18 and Need for Speed Payback are all showcased with trailers that you can find in our E3 Hub here.

Overall EA Play was a fairly standard conference with a couple of pleasant surprises, and other than a handful of awkward YouTube ‘celebrity’ performances, was an enjoyable stream to watch.