EA E3 2018 Predictions

Despite a great deal of controversy, particularly thanks to a push in the loot box epidemic gaming has recently seen, Electronic Arts has a plethora of franchises gamers hold near and dear. This year's E3 will once again see EA hold a press conference bound to show off some predictable games but complemented a surprise or two. Here are my predictions of what EA will show at E3 2018. Let me know what you think about mine and leave your own predictions in the comments below.


EA Sports
While it may be painfully obvious, EA Sports will undeniably have a presence at E3. "Madden NFL 19" and "FIFA 19" will definitely see trailers with August and September release dates respectively. They will likely each boast something, or a few things if we are lucky, that make this year stand out to the rest. I actually do believe the two trailers will conclude with a Nintendo Switch logo next to the other platform logos; I see the two coming to the Switch day and date with everything else this year.
For better or worse, I don't believe a new "NBA Live" will be shown off this year, particularly due to the far better received "NBA 2K" games.

Need for Speed
"Need for Speed" may be in a dark place these days thanks to the less-than-stellar performances commercially and critically of the more recent entries. Despite that downside, EA is a company that seems to put their resources first and foremost into games as a service and Need for Speed is a franchise I could very well see using this model. Personally, I could very well see them name dropping the next "Need for Speed" title at this year's E3 with a brief trailer and a 2019 release window provided. Much to the dismay of single player fans like myself, I foresee EA pushing that aforementioned games as a service model with this one.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 3
"Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare " let PopCap Games take the tower defense mobile games and transform their world into a first person shooter. Fortunately, they provided for some good entertainment; unfortunately however, these games weren't given all that much attention. With that in mind, I could see how EA wouldn't bank on another entry in this series; however, I do actually believe they're going to reveal a third "Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare" for redemption. The way I see it, "Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 3" gets released this August, a perfect time to play something fun and low key prior to the busy fall season of games. It will have a single player campaign, more content to play than its predecessors and even a Switch release alongside the others.

Anthem

"Anthem" is one of the most anticipated games to come but when will it be released? Bioware's next game is not making it on store shelves this year, we already know that. My prediction of "Anthem's" release date is March 2019. I see EA showing off a new trailer, one that explores the game deeply, this June. The "Anthem" trailer will certainly show us what the gameplay looks like, HUD, combat and all. I also believe we'll get a good look at the story of "Anthem," cinematics and all, looking presumably stunning.

EA Originals
With titles like "A Way Out" and "Fe," EA Originals has proven to be something special. This year, I not only want to see another one of these unique titles, but I confidently believe we will get just that. What this game will be is anyone's guess but that is certainly the best part. The trailer will stand out thanks to this EA Originals title looking like something special and it will not have any release date or window as of yet.


Battlefield 5
Seeing as EA has a track record of releasing a new "Battlefield" every year or two, there is no doubt we will see the next entry in 2018. Rumors have heavily pointed towards two concepts, one of which is a World War 2 setting. Thanks to the success of "Call of Duty: World War 2," I can definitely get behind EA going for the same setting. I have heard of a battle royale mode to be included in the next "Battlefield" game and I firmly believe that will do so. The title? I'm going for "Battlefield 5," but a V or even 2 as the subtitle totally makes sense. October 19 seems eligible for a release date, despite falling in between both "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" and "Red Dead Redemption 2." I don't believe EA will stray afar from risky release dates, seeing as they're no stranger to tight competition that time of the year.

Star Wars
As a fan of both single-player games and "Star Wars," I was definitely disappointing in the cancellation of the Visceral title. Despite this, I actually believe there is another "Star Wars" game on the way. Here's why my prediction makes me less excited than I want to be: this game will probably be teased with very little to no context on what it is. It will still get the crowd going because of the name "Star Wars" alone.

What I believe will be shown with confidence, release date(s) and all is more content for 2017's "Star Wars: Battlefront 2." This game was the center of controversy, sure, but it has picked itself up a bit with alterations to the leveling system and free DLC and updates post-launch. I see DICE supporting this title well into next year, especially given the fact that they promised free DLC for a while. The hype that "Star Wars" has also not settled down and likely won't. This is thanks in large part to a new film releasing annually now, each being eligible for EA to support with new content, perfect to get fans or those of interest to be excited for more "Star Wars: Battlefront 2."

Mass Effect Trilogy
"Mass Effect: Andromada" wasn't nearly as beloved as its predecessors. That made gamers more than ever want to play the trilogy again. I think there's so much demand for it and EA will rightfully reveal to gamers at their press conference that they have the "Mass Effect" trilogy coming beautifully remastered to current generation consoles. I think we get a release date of some time in January 2019.