EA E3 2018 Predictions: What to Expect Them to Show

EA Sports

The usual EA Sports section is an absolute certainty. FIFA, NHL, and Madden will all get a new iteration this year, each with updated rosters, visuals, and modes.

The soccer and football franchises are likely to get the most stage time, showing off whatever new features they’re going to get. After the success of Madden’s Longshot mode, it’ll likely get another story-focused mode, while Alex Hunter will probably return for part three of his rise to fame in FIFA 19. Both will also get expanded online functionality and gameplay upgrades, all of which we’ll learn about. It’ll also be interesting to see if there will be any Champions League content revealed for FIFA 19, too, after Konami lost the UEFA rights for its PES series.

Whether EA opts for quick reveals or brings out stars like Pele to talk about the games, we don’t know. But they’ll definitely be there in some form or another.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V was only recently revealed by EA, but they confirmed during the announcement event that we’d see more from the game at EA Play during E3. There are loads of different things they could show. Maybe a deeper look at the 64-player Grand Operations mode, or a look at the story in the single-player, or even some details on the beta timeline between now and the game’s launch this Fall. Also, since EA Play is an event attended by the public, we’ll probably get a look at whatever is playable, whether it be multiplayer or single-player.

EA could also surprise us with something we know nothing about. Since Battlefield is a series that is so well-suited to large-scale battles, with its vast environments and high player counts, maybe we’ll see them follow Treyarch in revealing a Battle Royale mode. Having two Battle Royale modes, from two juggernaut franchises, going up against each other would be an exciting prospect. However, EA rarely surprise us too much at E3, so we’d likely have heard about that already if it was a reality.

Anthem

EA has confirmed that Anthem will be at EA Play during E3. The game may have been delayed until early 2019, but now is the perfect time to get our first detailed look at the game in action since last year’s Microsoft conference. As well as seeing more gameplay, many BioWare fans want to learn more about the post-apocalyptic world we’re getting the chance to explore, as well as the story that the game will follow.

EA and Bioware need to get fans back on their side after the disappointment that was Mass Effect Andromeda, so we need to see a lot from Anthem to get everyone really excited. Since we’ve not seen a whole lot of the game since its initial reveal, and the fact that we’re less than a year from release, you can expect Anthem to take up a significant portion of EA’s show.

Star Wars

Star Wars is everywhere at the moment. Solo just released, with underwhelming box office figures, The Last Jedi released just six months ago, and we’re still getting regular Battlefront 2 updates. EA won’t want to slow that momentum down.

What exactly we see is another question. Could it be as boring and straightforward as a new expansion for Battlefront 2? Or a brand-new game of some kind? Visceral was shut down last year, effectively canceling the story-focused Star Wars game that they were working on, but the project was moved to a team led by EA Vancouver. In the process, however, the premise has been changed to a “broader” experience, as EA’s Patrick Soderlund stated. Respawn is also working on a Star Wars game, but that’s not due till the 2020 fiscal year, meaning that an April 2019 release date is the earliest we could see it.

EA probably won’t make the mistake of releasing Battlefield V and a Star Wars game within weeks of each other this Fall, as they did with Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1, so a 2019 release would make sense for any game. EA hasn’t been a fan of showing off games really early in the past, so maybe Battlefront 2 DLC will be all we get.

Skate 4

We haven’t been treated to a great skateboarding game for a long time now. Skate 3 released back in 2010 and 2015’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 was a disaster, so people have been asking for a Skate return for a while. In the past, EA has said that they’re not working on a fourth Skate game, but it’s difficult to believe that that’s still the case.

There have been some hints to suggest that EA has changed their mind, however. EA employees have sent out tweets simply saying ‘#Skate 4,” Skate 3 recently came to Xbox One’s Backwards Compatibility program, and EA turned the Skate 3 servers back on out of the blue just days before its EA Play showcase. There’s no doubt that fans would love a new Skate game, we’ll find out this weekend if EA is going to make those wishes come true.

Dragon Age

We know that a new Dragon Age game is being worked on, it’s just a surprise that we haven’t seen it sooner. After the success of Inquisition, and considering the fact that it’s been nearly as long since the last release as it was between the first three main series games, it’s time for a return.

A key member of the writing team revealed a year ago that he was working on a new Dragon Age game, but we’re yet to be given a name or see an official announcement. However, with Anthem due to release early next year, and sure to be a big part of EA Play, it might not be smart to show off two huge BioWare games at the same time, but we can’t be far away from the official reveal.

EA Originals and Other Surprises

After the success of Fe and A Way Out earlier this year, EA will likely want to continue this streak of success with its EA Originals program. However, considering how unique the previous games developed under the banner have been, it’s pretty impossible to guess what kind of game will be next.

Aside from indie games, the reveal of a new Need for Speed game from Ghost Games is a possibility. Payback only released last year, and while there were a few missteps in design and microtransaction integration, it proved quite popular. Maybe this year’s E3 is the time to reveal its next attempt, to build on what was promising about Payback. We’ll probably also see something from The Sims, whether that be a new game entirely, or a new, themed expansion for The Sims 4. Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare may also make a return for a third installment. Maybe we’ll also be treated to a new EA IP during EA Play. We’ll have to tune in to find out.

EA Play will broadcast live from The Palladium in Hollywood on Saturday, June 9, at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET.