Skip to main content

EA Play 2019: All the big news, from FIFA 20 to Battlefield V to Star Wars

This year, EA chose not to hold a traditional press conference, and instead held its EA Play event on June 8-9, just ahead of the E3 2019 festivities. In lieu of the press conference, the publisher featured interviews and gameplay demonstrations focused on six of the company’s games. There weren’t any big surprises, but we did get plenty of new information. Here’s all the big news.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Official Gameplay Demo – EA PLAY 2019

Respawn Entertainment showed off 15 minutes of gameplay for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order at the beginning of EA Play 2019. Set on the Wookie planet Kashyyyk, the mission we saw had protagonist Cal on a mission to liberate the area from the grips of the Empire. Early in the gameplay demonstration, we saw the traversal tools he will use, which include wall-running and grappling like in Uncharted or Tomb Raider. We were also surprised to see Forest Whitaker’s Saw Gerrera make a return to assist Cal in his mission.

Recommended Videos

This was the first time we saw gameplay of Fallen Order, including lightsaber combat. Using his lightsaber, Cal is able to cut Stormtroopers down to size and go head-to-head against powerful enemies and wild beasts. He also uses several force abilities, such as a pull and throw, and gains skill points after beating several targets in combat. Against powerful enemies, the game had a combat flow similar to action-role-playing games, with less focus on flair and more on methodical dodges and capitalizing on mistakes.

Jedi Fallen Order is set to launch November 15 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

FIFA 20

FIFA 20 | Official Reveal Trailer ft. VOLTA Football

FIFA 20 might not have Alex Hunter’s story this year, but it does have Volta street football. The informal soccer matches will allow you to play as all licensed players and teams, but you’ll be able to knock the ball off the walls in cage-style pitches, and you can play with male and female players in the same game.

Improvements have been made in several key areas for this year’s game. One of these is “composed finishing,” which is designed to make one-on-one shots against the keeper less frustrating. You will also have more control over strafe dribbling, tackling, and free and penalty kicks, and the ball physics have been reworked for greater realism. A.I. defensive support has also been reduced in order to make it a more active part of the experience.

Madden NFL 20

Madden 20 Gameplay Reveal – EA Play 2019

Madden NFL 20 wants to put its star players front and center, and that’s being done with the new “X-Factor abilities.” The best players in the league have special traits and abilities that can help them perform better in key scenarios. Last year’s MVP Patrick Mahomes, for instance, gets the “Bazooka” ability to throw farther after completing four passes of more than 30 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster, meanwhile, has an ability that forces players to double-cover him if they want to avoid getting beaten in match-ups.

Playbooks will evolve based on developments in the real NFL, and run-pass options plays have been added. In fact, there are more than 200 of them. The Scenario Engine will bring dynamic challenges to the game for a chance  to improve players’ ratings in each game, and “Ultimate Missions” have been added to give you a more guided way to earn items in Madden Ultimate Team.

Apex Legends

Apex Legends Season 2 Live Reveal – EA PLAY 2019

Apex Legends is wrapping up its Season 1 content, and recently added the “Apex Elite” queue, which will be limited to only the best players for more competitive matches. This includes Legendary Hunt challenges, which will be available until June 18.

On July 2, the Battle Charge Season 2 will begin. The new season brings a new Legend called Wattson, who utilizes an electrified fence ability and powerful pylons to lock down areas and punish overly aggressive players. Players will also be able to use the L-Star plasma machine gun, which was previously in Titanfall 2, and daily and weekly challenges will now stack for those who don’t have time to play on a weekly basis, and leveling should be much quicker. The Mozambique weapon should also be getting a significant boost in the near-future.

Season 2 will also see the debut of a new ranked mode. This mode has six tiers, which you’ll progress through based on your performance, and go from bronze to Apex Predator. Depending on where you end up at the close of the season, you’ll get unique rewards. At the very conclusion of the event, we also got a hint that Titans from the mainline Titanfall series could be coming to the game at a later point, but Respawn isn’t ready to talk about that quite yet.

Battlefield V

Battlefield V - New Maps Gameplay Reveal – Live at EA PLAY 2019

EA is still plugging away at its 2018 first-person shooter Battlefield V. Its new content will certainly please WWII buffs, as it includes Pacific battles fought between the United States and Japan, including an Iwo Jima map.

Several new maps are coming for Chapter 4 of the game’s ongoing updates. These include infantry-focused battles in Greece, the North African desert, and an island complete with a beach. Private games are coming in September, with the baseline package free to all players, and an “Operation Underground” map based on “Operation Metro” from Battlefield 3 is coming in October. For those who maxed out at rank 50, you’ll soon be able to go up to 500, as well. The new ranks come with additional dog tags and other flair to show off your achievement to the worlds.

The Sims 4

The Sims 4™ Island Living: Official Reveal Trailer

The Sims 4: Island Living was announced during EA Play 2019. The new expansion will be available to PC and Mac players on June 21 and consoles on July 16.

The expansion adds open-water gameplay and the ability to go from land to water naturally. There are several different water activities to complete, including jet skiing, snorkeling, and playing with dolphins. You’ll have to watch out for the active volcano on the island, however, which can send lava bombs hurling toward your community. Oh, and there are also mermaids.

What we won’t see from EA at E3 2019

It’s not all sunshine and candy; not everything we were hoping for from EA Play came to pass. Here’s a quick look at the titles we were hoping to see — and left empty handed.

New Need for Speed

Need for Speed Payback review sunset
Need for Speed Payback Image used with permission by copyright holder

The February 2019 earnings report also revealed that a new Need for Speed game will launch in 2019. Need for Speed Payback underwhelmed at launch in 2017, and the long-running franchise has frequently been a mixed bag. While EA has confirmed that a new Need for Speed game will launch this year, it will not be shown at E3.

New Plants vs. Zombies

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new Plants vs. Zombies game is also in the works at EA. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 launched in 2016 and was a huge improvement on the original.

However, the game isn’t at EA Play 2019. A PopCap producer confirmed that a new shooter in the universe is on the way, but we don’t yet know when we’ll actually get to see gameplay or learn more about improvements from the original.

How to watch the EA Play livestreams

EA PLAY 2019 Live Stream

If you want to watch the full EA Play 2019 livestream yourself, you can do so above.

Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
How to get fire quartz in Stardew Valley
A player getting a mineral in Stardew Valley.

There are tons of common items and materials in Stardew Valley that don't require you to look up any tips or tricks to find. Things like regular quartz are almost impossible to miss, while things like Powdermelon and fire quartz aren't quite as easy to come by. The rarer the material, the more uses it has, which is the case for this red version of quartz called fire quartz. Despite how pretty they look, you probably won't want to give them away as gifts once you learn how to reliably find them.
How to find fire quartz

Like any mineral in Stardew Valley, fire quartz needs to be foraged out in the world rather than made yourself. The Mines are where you will need to spend your time searching, but only after you have explored far enough to reach floor 80 and beyond. After floor 80, fire quartz will start to appear for you to forage. Beyond finding it on its own, you can also find some inside of either Magam or Omni Geodes. Because it is fairly common to spot on its own, you shouldn't need to rely on looking for geodes to get enough.

Read more
The best video game DLCs of all time
A rider approaching a flame golem Shadow of the Erdtree.

There's a certain sadness to finishing one of the best games of all time. While the experience itself was great, seeing it come to an end leaves you looking for the next upcoming game or waiting for its sequel, which could be years away. However, some developers stick with their current game a bit longer and add in DLC down the road, which gives you a new reason to revisit that title. These expansions can add new areas, quests, modes, weapons, stories, characters, and more. Some even act as small sequels themselves to bridge the gap into new games or maybe add backstory and context to the world only hinted at before. There are also DLC packs that only add in some cosmetics, but those aren't the kind that will make this list. These are the best DLC expansions that are arguably even better than the main game.

If you need a place to start before getting into DLC, we also picked out the best PS5 games, best Xbox Series X games, best PC games, and best Switch games.

Read more
This PlayStation 5 bundle is on sale with a rare $76 discount — don’t miss it!
The Sony PlayStation 5 Slim Disc Edition Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle and its box.

Gamers who haven't bought the PlayStation 5 yet, here's your chance to get the console with a huge discount. The PlayStation 5 Disc Edition - Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle, which is originally priced at $500, is currently on sale from Walmart with a $76 discount that drops its price to a more affordable $424. We're not sure how long this offer will last, but given the device's popularity, we think it will sell out quickly. This is not a time to hesitate -- you need to complete your purchase quickly as you won't always see PS5 deals like this one.

Why you should buy the PlayStation 5 Disc Edition - Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle
The version of the PlayStation 5 in the PlayStation 5 Disc Edition - Fortnite Cobalt Star Bundle is the PlayStation 5 Slim, which is not only slimmer than the original model as you can guess from its name, but also expands storage space to 1TB from 825GB previously. There's no other significant difference -- you'll be able to play all of the best PS5 exclusives, and if you're a fan of Fortnite, you'll also get codes to access Cobalt Star cosmetic items alongside 1,000 V-Bucks to spend on the free-to-play game. This is also the Disc Edition of the console, which means you have the option of using physical discs or downloading digital titles from the PlayStation Store.

Read more