EA planning major new Frostbite engine game reveal for E3
Battlefield 5 a possibility for an E3 reveal, but EA could have other big-name franchises planned for its Frostbite engine - maybe even Titanfall 2
EA has revealed plans to introduce six major new games at June’s E3 trade expo, with at least one of them set to be powered by Frostbite – the game engine created by Battlefield developers DICE. During the company’s annual financial results call, CEO Andrew Wilson said the engine would be used for a “major new game”, but didn’t indicate whether it would be a sequel to an existing franchise, or an entirely new one.
Frostbite is already used by Battlefield 4, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare and Need for Speed Rivals on PCs and consoles, so it wouldn’t be much of a leap to see one of those franchises re-use the engine for a new iteration. However, DICE is already using Frostbite to develop Star Wars: Battlefront, the upcoming team-based shooter set in the Star Wars universe, so Battlefield 5 may not be ready for a June reveal.
A new Need For Speed also seems unlikely for a 2014 reveal, as according to Wilson, “Ghost Games is working on an innovative new chapter of the franchise” and EA has “planned an extended development window to ensure a high quality experience for NFS players next year.”
Aaryn Flynn, general manager for Bioware, confirmed Mass Effect 4 would be using Frostbite, and fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Inquisition (also in development at Bioware) is using it too. Finally, Mirrors Edge 2 is listed as using Frostbite, although it isn’t set to go on sale until 2016.
Another possibility is that the sequel to Titanfall will use the Frostbite engine. Having confirmed Titanfall 2 is in the works during the earnings call, Wilson didn’t mention whether developer Respawn Entertainment would re-use it’s existing game engine, or move to something else. He did say that “Through a new policy agreement, we will be working with Respawn to bring new Titanfall experiences to players worldwide,” which many took to mean a cross platform launch on PS4 as well as PC and Xbox One, but it could mean EA is happy to license Frostbite to a new developer if it means level-destroying Titan battles that rival Battlefield 4’s Levolution moments.
If EA wants to surprise gamers, it will need something big, then, rather than a sequel to an existing title. The new game is expected to take centre stage during the company’s EA World Premiere: E3 2014 Preview press conference, which is set to take place on the 9th of June ahead of the first official day of E3.
EA will be broadcasting the reveals on Spike TV in the US, and online at ea.com/e3, e3.spike.com and twitch.tv from 8PM GMT on the 9th of June, so if you aren’t one of the lucky few to make it to Los Angeles you’ll still be able to follow along at home.
We’ll be out at E3 in June, to bring you first impressions of all the new titles.