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Electronic Arts again ditches E3 in favor of EA Play event in June

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Anthem Official Gameplay Reveal

Last year, as was the case in 2016, game publishing giant Electronic Arts ditched E3 for its own “EA Play” presentation. The event was player-focused, showing off lengthy multiplayer gameplay demonstrations in addition to the trailers associated with press conferences. The decision appears to have been successful, as EA is doing it again with a three-day EA Play event in June.

EA Play will run from June 9 through June 11 at the Hollywood Palladium, just before E3 is scheduled to begin. The event will feature new information on BioWare’s Anthem, scheduled to launch in 2019, as well as various EA Sports titles, The Sims 4, and mobile games. The biggest title, however, will be the latest Battlefield game. It doesn’t currently have an official name, with EA only referring to it as “the next Battlefield experience” in a press release.

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We also expect to hear news on the latest Dragon Age game. In January, BioWare confirmed a new entry was in development, but we haven’t seen any gameplay from it thus far. The game will be “live,” with more content made available after its initial launch.

As with last year’s event, EA Play 2018 will include content creators from platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. It didn’t work out too well in 2017, when popular prankster Jesse Wellens stumbled over his words while introducing Need for Speed Payback. He later admitted he hadn’t read the script for the presentation until the day of the event, and that what ended up being on his teleprompter had been changed since rehearsal.

In addition to Anthem, Star Wars Battlefront II and Need for Speed Payback, last year’s presentation also featured a trailer for A Way Out. The cooperative-only adventure game releases in March, and it uses a split-screen perspective to keep both players informed of their partner’s actions at all times. Only one of them actually needs to own a copy of the game, as well.

Fans wanting to attend EA Play 2018 in person will be able to purchase tickets this spring, and EA promises more information on the schedule and availability will be released “over the coming weeks and months.”

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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