E3 is just around the corner folks and you know what that means. That’s right, wildly inaccurate predictions as to what will appear at the show. The Player 2 crew has once again gotten together and gazed into their crystal balls (there was a 2 for 1 special at Kmart) and have put their E3 predictions on the virtual page for everyone to tease them about in 2 weeks time. Our final predictions article looks at EA, what do they have in store?
E3 2016 Predictions – EA
Stevie McDonald
Safe Bet
Sports, sports and more sports. FIFA, NHL, NBA Live, Madden NFL, it’s a veritable alphabet soup of opportunity. And it’s all but guaranteed we’ll be shown some sort of montage of all the latest offerings.
Fairly Likely
Mass Effect: Andromeda has been delayed until 2017 sometime, so it’s fairly likely EA will want to show off what wonders the extra development time has been put towards.
Wishful Thinking
Bad Company 3. While the first game was good, the second was the highlight of the Battlefield series, for me. It would be great to hear Hags ragging on Sweetwater just one more time…
James Swinbanks
Safe Bet
SPORTS! – I think the only thing that could surprise me about EA would be if they didn’t show up with anything fresh to show from their EA Sports stable. Expect to see Madden, FIFA, NBA Live (maybe, I’ve heard talk of this skipping another year) and the rest.
Fairly Likely
Battlefield 1 – After the ‘success’ of its reveal – if getting a bunch of social media likes can be considered success – I’d be a little shocked if we don’t see more details of Battlefield 1’s campaign or multiplayer modes. Like most people, I want to get a taste of how they handle the WW1 aesthetic, one of the big questions on everyone’s lips post its reveal. It may also show as a part of the Xbox conference, thanks to EA’s close partnership with Microsoft.
Wishful Thinking
A big new AAA IP – EA have the resources to make something totally spectacular, and I feel like it’s been a good long while since we’ve seen them do just that. Ideally, I’d love to see them do something entirely different, but in the AAA space. That’s what it will take for me to get excited about anything in EA’s future lineup.
Jenn Christodoulou
Safe Bet
Some FPS game I don’t care about oh my god I don’t care I don’t care I really don’t caaaaaaaaaaaaaaare. But in all seriousness, there will be Battlefield.
Fairly Likely
Mass Effect Andromeda is due to come out in 2017. I want this game to come out NOW because once that has come out it means we might see more Dragon Age on the horizon and that is literally all I care about.
Wishful Thinking
DRAGON AAAAAAAAGE. What happened to my Grey Warden? Is Hawke really dead? WHAT WILL MY INQUISITOR DO WITH ONE HAND? TELL ME NOW SO HELP ME GOD I NEED TO KNOW.
Matthew Ballinger
Safe Bet
This could finally be the year that Call of Duty is dethroned. EA have both Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 launching multi-platform. Battlefield 1 looked great from the trailer and it’s about time World War I made a resurgence as a setting, it feels refreshing after too many future tech war settings. On the other had Titanfall 2 is just that, but with a dedicated campaign mode people should take more ownership over this interesting universe.
Fairly Likely
SPORTS! Go team. Our team is better than your team. Sack the ref. That was a penalty. A beer cost $15?? It’s no secret EA love balls and games that involve playing with them so expect Fifa, Madden, NBA Live and UFC at a bare minimum.
Wishful Thinking
Brutal Legend 2, EA published the last one and Jack Black recently tweeted out asking if people would be pumped for something like that on this generation of consoles. Now he could have been teasing us or he could be thinking of actually doing it OR it is already in production and he is trying to be a sneaky sneak. All I know is I would play the hell out of a new adventure starring the Tenacious D frontman slaying demons and rocking out to 80s metal. \m/ \m/
Matt Hewson
Safe Bet
Prepare for Titanfall. With the second game in Respawn’s FPS/Mech shooter confirmed to be coming in 2016 there is no doubt that EA will want to ride the giant robot of hype at E3 this year. Expect to see details of the Single Player campaign to ease the public’s worries.
Fairly Likely
Even though it isn’t coming til next year I think it is pretty safe to say that Mass Effect: Andromeda is going to have a presence at the show. This Shepherdless title is high on my wishlist so I am excited to see what new features Bioware have brought to the classic series.
Wishful Thinking
I say the same thing every year. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter. The time is right EA! Bring me my classic space combat! While we are at it Knights of the Old Republic 3 wouldn’t go astray either.
Sarah Ellen
Safe Bet
It’s EA and there is going to be a sports game. I am not even dignifying this with clarification. Is it FIFA? Is it NBA? Is it UFC? Spin that wheel, sportsball fans! You’ll be covered at E3 without fail.
Fairly Likely
The announcement to delay the release of Mass Effect Andromeda to early 2017 was not met with as much vitriol as No Man’s Sky, but it still disappointed a few fans who may have been planning their Christmas holidays around it (myself included!). It would be amiss for Bioware to not provide an update on the anticipated next-gen release of one of its largest franchises, so I expect that it’ll find its way into the EA conference with an update.
Wishful Thinking
Is it time to relaunch James Pond? No? Well maybe they could just get rid of Origin altogether (See? Now James Pond is looking more likely).
Adam Rorke
Safe Bet
Since we just got the cinematic trailer for the new Battlefield (Battlefield 1) I’m expecting some optimised gameplay footage of this new title which will strangely be devoid of any bugs or news of DLC that will hit within the first 3 months of its release.
Fairly Likely
A title that I, and many other XBOX One owners no doubt, am really keen to hear about is news and footage of Titanfall 2. The first Titanfall was one of those rare titles that relented to public pressure and seemed to really understand the fan base of their game. They did this by giving away all the new maps, etc. for free as to avoid splitting their players. If only every company did this. I’d like to see a sequel here with more content, units and gameplay because Titanfall 1 on steroids would be an absolute winner in my books!
Wishful Thinking
Free DLC. No, I’m not kidding. I’d like to see companies like EA be more smart with their DLC where excluding players by adding DLC locked extra’s is not the way to go, instead do what so many others are doing (Killer Instinct, SFV, League of Legends, etc) and treat their games as a service where deciding not to buy certain DLC will not exclude them from actually playing.
Stephen del Prado
Safe Bet
A veritable avalanche of Star Wars. Oh, you expected more than this? Well, you shouldn’t have bought Battlefront and proven to EA that the Star Wars license prints money regardless of content.
Fairly Likely
Mass Effect Andromeda gameplay is shown and a January 2017 release date is revealed. EA roll through their sports stable and make a big deal about small changes.
Wishful Thinking
Burnout is back, and it’s better than ever .
Paul James
Safe Bet
Given that EA has already begun to advertise the debut of Titanfall 2 at E3 it makes this selection an easy one. The original Titanfall game was a critical and commercial success when it arrived in early 2014, and fans wait with baited breath for more. Rumours of a campaign whet the appetites of many, while PS4 owners are just happy that they can play this one. Look for a metric tonne of content for Titanfall 2 when news drops this E3 ahead of an eventual launch in late 2016 or early 2017.
Fairly Likely
Mass Effect Andromeda – Though I’m resigned to the unfortunate fact that I probably won’t get to review this one (the reviewer who gets it becomes my next voodoo doll), Mass Effect Andromeda is one game that I’m eagerly awaiting more information about. With the tales of Commander Shepard now over all eyes have shifted to the Andromeda Galaxy and the events that play out there. Sadly we know all too little at this time about the hotly anticipated Bioware game, but E3 2016 is surely the setting for a tonne of new information being revealed – It’s time to lift the lid one one of 2017’s most anticipated games.
Wishful Thinking
It seems just a bit too soon for the next big Star Wars project to be unveiled. We know that Battlefront 2 is a thing, so outside of it Visceral Games, along with former Uncharted writer Amy Hennig with be the first to show their wares. Perhaps E3 2016 can be the scene of the unveiling of Amy’s newest project – Visceral themselves have been quiet since they released Battlefield Hardline in 2015, so maybe we’re due for the first taste of what’s to come next.
Other E3 2016 Predictions
Microsoft – Sony – Nintendo – Square Enix – Bethesda – Ubisoft
