One of the publishers absent from this year's E3, EA will instead be holding their own show. In the past, they've held their own event, EA Play, at the same time as E3 but have tweaked the formula due to E3 being all-digital. Instead of holding one event at the same time as E3, EA Play Live will encompass five streams throughout July. EA Play Live promises some convention-style panels about its most popular franchises. It also offers the possible reveals of new games from its vast library, including several titles fans haven't seen in years.
For EA Play Live, EA will be partnering with IGN to live stream the event through IGN's official channels. That includes its website, social media platforms like YouTube and Twitch, apps (including on Xbox One), and streaming channels on platforms like Amazon Fire TV and Roku. It will also stream on EA's YouTube channel.
What To Expect in July from EA
The event kicks off on July 8 at 10 AM PT/1 PMET with "The Future of First-Person Shooters," which will focus on two incredibly popular FPS titles: Apex Legends and Battlefield 2042. Representatives from both games developers, Respawn and DICE, will talk about their games and the genre as a whole. The spotlight presentation will set the table for further reveals during EA Play Live on July 22.
On July 13 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, EA will shine a spotlight on independent developers. The creators of games like the critically acclaimed It Takes Two and Knockout City will talk about their EA-published indie games. They'll also talk about the importance of indie games on the industry as a whole. The stream will also feature an appearance from the outspoken Josef Fares, the founder of It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios, whose appearance always get fans talking.
On July 19, starting at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET, EA Sports will get a spotlight stream focusing on Madden NFL 22's franchise mode. Specifically, the developers will be discussing how they are integrating community feedback from last year's game into the new installment. Franchise mode was heavily panned in Madden NFL '21, which had record-low user scores on Metacritic, so this could be an important stream for making good with jaded Madden fans. EA Sports will also have a second spotlight on July 20 at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, though what it focuses on remains a mystery. EA has mentioned "an extremely cool new addition to an extremely popular and long-running EA SPORTS franchise" in a press release, leading some fans to hope for the return of SSX, which has been mostly dormant since the death of EA Sports Big.
EA Play Live: The Main Event
The biggest of the events, EA Play Live, takes place on July 22 at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern. The stream will be hosted by WWE Superstar and G4 host Xavier Woods and includes new gameplay reveals, giveaways and "other surprises." More information about Battlefield and Apex Legends, as well as a gameplay reveal for indie game Lost In Random, have been confirmed. By and large, though, EA is playing coy about the games it will feature in the 40-minute presentation. Fans have already been speculating what could be involved. The biggest rumor is a remake of iconic horror game Dead Space, which is rumored to be in development at Motive Studios, the team behind Star Wars: Squadrons. There's also speculation about an official reveal for a sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order. Recent job listings hinted a sequel was coming, and both Game Informer and EA's Star Wars' Twitter account have teased something Fallen Order related recently.
On the flip side, there are two big games fans know won't be at EA Play Live. BioWare has already announced that Dragon Age and Mass Effect, two huge franchises which have high-profile sequels in development, will not be featured in any of the livestreams. The developer will show off the latest expansion for its long-running MMO RPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic, instead. Regardless, players may want to keep an eye on the EA Play Live streams, even if they aren't fans of Madden or Battlefield. Games outside of their rotation of shooters and annualized sports games could make an appearance, and the return of long-dormant franchises such as SSX or Dead Space would be welcome news for long-suffering fans who thought the franchises were dead.