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EA Play Live 2020: How to watch and what to expect from today’s event

Don Reisinger
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Now that Microsoft and Sony have held their recent game showcases, Electronic Arts is next with its EA Play Live event on Thursday, June 18.

Each June, EA holds its annual Play Live event around the E3 gaming conference to announce new titles. The company usually uses the event to showcase gameplay in upcoming titles, and occasionally offers up some surprises. It could follow the same plan this time around.

EA had initially planned to hold its Play Live event on June 11 but postponed it by a week earlier this month following the tragic death of George Floyd and subsequent protests against racial injustice. In a tweet announcing the change, EA said there were “important conversations taking place and important voices being heard around the world,” and said it was “moving our time to come together in play” because of that.

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EA Play Live 2020 is set to premiere in just a few short hours. Read on to find out how to watch the event, as well as what to expect from this year’s show.

When is EA Play Live?

EA will hold its Play Live event at 4 p.m. PT on Thursday. The company will livestream the show on YouTube and elsewhere. Even if you miss it, don’t worry — in the past, EA has made livestream replays available, so players could go back and see what was announced.

How to watch the livestream

EA plans to post the livestream to its Play Live webpage. The company has also created a YouTube page for livestreaming and will likely showcase the event on Twitch. You can also watch a livestream that Digital Trends has planned during the event by revisiting the site at 4 p.m. PT.

Plenty of new games

There will be no shortage of games at EA’s Play Live event.

After EA unveiled Star Wars: Squadrons on Monday, the company said that it will reveal actual gameplay footage at Play Live. Squadrons, which will be available on October 2, promises space-based dogfighting and the ability for players to work together to take down “flagships” in multiplayer modes.

EA is also planning to showcase in-game footage for FIFA 21, and although it announced Madden NFL 21 this week, it said it will share more details on the game at its livestream. And if you’re hoping to see what the future holds for Apex Legends, EA has already said it will reveal “what’s next” in that franchise.

Talk of the ‘next generation’

EA isn’t planning to ignore the next-generation console cycle at its show. The company didn’t say anything about specific titles planned for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but it did say in a Madden NFL 21 announcement this week that it will announce “more news on the next generation.”

Big question marks

As much as we know about EA’s plans, there’s much more we don’t know.

One of the biggest questions surrounding Thursday’s show is whether EA will talk about its plans for Battlefield 6. EA has said very little about the upcoming first-person shooter, which is slated for a 2021 launch, but recent leaks have suggested it will be set in a modern-day setting. And those same leaks indicate it might be discussed at least briefly at Play Live.

While Mass Effect has lost some of its luster in recent years, a recent GameReactor report said EA is planning a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster that could debut in the fall. The game, according to the report, could be announced at the show.

Finally, and perhaps most intriguingly, EA could use the show to discuss the Nintendo Switch. The publisher hasn’t heavily supported the Switch in the past but said in a recent earnings call that it’s considering expanding that support in 2020 and beyond.

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Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger is a freelance technology, video game, and entertainment journalist. He has been writing about the world of…
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