Next up to drop hints is Electronic Arts. The company announced in its latest post-earnings call that they will be unveiling next-generation installments of their current popular franchises, and that subsidiary studios BioWare and DICE will also be giving gamers a first look at some new games that are currently in development, headed for a 2014/2015 release.
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau had this to say about the company’s E3 plans:
EA has a few major titles in development at the moment, including the next game in the Mass Effect series (which will be part of a new story rather than a direct sequel to Mass Effect 3), Battlefield 4, and a whole host of Star Wars games on various platforms that will potentially tie into Disney’s planned Episode VII.
“This will include breakthroughs in graphics and gameplay for some of our biggest franchises, including Battlefield, FIFA, Madden, NBA Live and Need for Speed. We plan to unveil new titles from EA Sports, BioWare, and DICE, and a first look at some brand new games.”
“[The engines] provide enduring common technology that saves cost, fosters efficiency, and provides spectacular physics and graphics for our games."
While fans of the existing series can look forward to getting yet another chapter, the promise of some brand new IPs is a far more exciting prospect. The nondisclosure agreement mentioned by EA, along with the shroud of secrecy surrounding next-generation consoles, has meant that details of the company’s planned releases for the new platforms have remained in airtight containment. In giving gamers a look at what’s being produced for the consoles, EA will also be able to give us an idea of what the new engines are capable of.
The next-generation consoles that are being anticipated for launch within the fourth quarter of 2013 include Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox 720 (though the title remains colloquial as EA is yet to confirm the official label), and both will have to compete not only with each other but with the PC market. The CEO of Crytek recently claimed that, however good they might be, next-generation consoles will never be able to outdo PC gaming hardware.
Let us know what you’re hoping to see from EA during this year’s E3 conference in the comments, and what you hope to see from DICE and BioWare on the next generation of hardware.
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Source: Seeking Alpha (via Gamespot)
