EA reveals secret weapons as battle rages for gamers

Tried and tested franchises get new twists as EA plans for future

Andrew Wilson, chief executive officer of Electronic Arts, speaks during its media event. Photograph: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
Andrew Wilson, chief executive officer of Electronic Arts, speaks during its media event. Photograph: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg

From tried and tested franchises to new titles, EA is hoping to win over games as the battle between the consoles rages on.

Fifa 15, Sims 4 and a new version of Battlefield are all slated for release in the coming months, across console and PC platforms as EA builds on previous successes in the games market.

At its pre-E3 media event, EA chief Andrew Wilson emphasised that players were the most important part of the equation as he kicked off the proceedings with a look at its latest Star Wars title, courtesy of Bioware.

“Everything we’ve got for you here today is tied together by a common thread - a commitment to put our players first, a commitment to create amazing games, games that inspire, challenge and entertain us, a commitment to lead with creativity and innovation,” he said.

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The company is hoping that the game, Star Wars Battlefront, will be a hit with fans of the franchise.

The company also showed off a new Battlefield title that is is a little less like that Battlefield that went head to head with Call of Duty in the past. Battlefield Hardline take the fight to the streets, pitting police against criminals.

The Sims are also becoming more intelligent and realistic, with the new edition Sims 4 out later this year due to give players a new look at the franchise.

Its PGA Tour franchise has had a facelift too. Last year it was announced that Tiger Woods would no longer be fronting the popular golf game, leaving EA free to shake things up a bit. And that’s exactly what it has done, with the latest instalment built on the company’s new Frostbite 3 game engine, and featuring more extreme situations - with a “golf without limits” theme, EA even managed to cram a battleship into the trailer.

Fifa 15, meanwhile, is getting an added dose of realism ,looking even better than before and now the emphasis is on the emotions of the players too.

Other things yet to come include a new Bioware IP, a new addition to the Mass Effect series and an as-yet unnamed game by Criterion Games.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist