The Wait is Over – New Hardware, New Development Engines and Stunning New Games
Frank Gibeau
2013-05-21
This is a big day – the first time in over a year that an EA developer can answer a question without starting: Sorry, I’m under NDA and can’t provide any detail.
Today Microsoft has unveiled Xbox One and we can finally say: the next generation of hardware is incredible and the proof is in the details – the games and development engines that will breathe life into these systems.
OK, I am biased. I spend a lot of time on mobile, tablet and PC games, but I love the power and scope of big console games and it’s been eight years since we’ve had a new canvas to create on. Today, Microsoft’s press conference revealed what we’re so excited about. Finally, we can draw back the curtain and show you what we’ve been working on for Madden, FIFA, NBA LIVE, UFC, Battlefield, Need For Speed and other EA franchises.
In that broadcast, Andrew Wilson unveiled EA SPORTS IGNITE, a brand new game engine that powers our next-generation sports games. Ignite delivers a stunning array rendering capabilities, run-time physics, animation, intelligence, locomotion and integrated online systems. It will create sports experiences that are more authentic and deliver more emotion than ever before.
But the excitement isn’t limited to EA SPORTS. EA’s DICE Studio has introduced Frostbite 3, a game engine that will revolutionize experiences across a broad spectrum of platforms and genres. The astonishing power of Frostbite 3 was unveiled in March with this 17-minute gameplay video of Battlefield 4. That demo was actually showcasing the next generation of Battlefield, which will run on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC and will also be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Now that the Xbox One has been unveiled, there is so much more we want to show you – racing, RPGs and shooters that are going to astonish you with their graphic fidelity and connected features.
Our E3 briefing “The Download: EA 2013 Preview” will be a showcase of next-generation games like Battlefield 4, Need For Speed, a full range of EA SPORTS games and a first look at our plans for the Star Wars partnership with Disney. Tune in on Monday, June 10 at 1pm PT on Spike TV or at www.ea.com/e3 to experience it all. I’m eager to your reaction in the comments and the forums, Facebook and Twitter.
Today, you’ll hear a lot of superlatives about the new systems – all well-deserved. But what we showed today only skims the surface of a deep ocean of images and experiences. Now it’s up to us -- DICE, BioWare, Criterion, Visceral, EA SPORTS and others – to show you what the new consoles can do.