EA E3 2021: What to expect from this year's EA Play conference

E3 2021 - EA E3 2021 — (Image credit: EA)

What should you expect to see from the EA E3 2021 showing? While Electronic Arts' online press conference, EA Play Live, isn't taking place until July 22, the publisher has still confirmed that it'll be a part of the E3 2021 schedule in June, with new reveals, trailers, and details about the latest games coming your way from its studios in the months and years ahead.

These announcements will cover the already confirmed titles, such as Battlefield 6, alongside some surprises that EA has kept under wraps until now, so it's well worth following our E3 2021 guide to make sure you don't miss a thing this summer. In the meantime, read on for a full breakdown of our EA E3 2021 predictions, including potential news for Mass Effect 5, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order 2, and – yes – EA Sports, because it wouldn't be an EA E3 showcase without it.

Battlefield 6

This is likely to be EA's tentpole title for its E3 presence this year, as the publisher has already confirmed that DICE's shooter sequel is scheduled to launch in the Holiday period of 2021. In fact, a number of leaks have seemingly confirmed Battlefield 6's modern day setting, while various investor calls have alluded to the game being the most ambitious entry in the franchise to date.

With that in mind, you can expect to see plenty of gameplay, developer interviews, and trailers over the course of the next few months. What we don't know is whether DICE will succeed in living up to fan expectations this time around, following the mixed reception to 2018's Battlefield 5. Not long now till we find out.

BioWare

Now that Mass Effect Legendary Edition has come and gone, we know that BioWare is focusing on Dragon Age 4 as its next title, ahead of the recently confirmed Mass Effect sequel, which is still in early production. We've had years of teasers, snippets, and quotes about the next Dragon Age game, but hopefully E3 2021 is the place where we finally see some gameplay from the upcoming RPG, alongside more details about BioWare's planned launch window.

And who knows? Maybe the studio wants to ride on the tailwinds of Mass Effect mania, and show us another glimpse at the future from its esteemed sci-fi franchise?

Star Wars

Electronic Arts' Star Wars license with Disney comes to end in 2023, and while other publishers such as Ubisoft are now already making new, original titles in a galaxy far, far away, that doesn't rule out more EA Star Wars games yet. A Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order sequel has already been confirmed, for one thing, though we don't know whether development on that title is far along enough for Respawn to show anything at E3 this year.

Still, who knows what other secret Star Wars projects might be in the work at the publisher? EA Motive's open world game was apparently cancelled earlier this year, for example, freeing them up for another title in the Disney-owner universe. And someone must be making a Mandalorian game somewhere, after all...

EA Sports

EA Sports is guaranteed to take up significant real estate in Electronic Arts' E3 showcase this year, giving us a better look at all the latest instalments across its portfolio of sports simulation titles. That means we'll hear more about FIFA 22, PGA Tour, Madden 22, and perhaps even a few more.

The EA Sports division is always striving for increased visual fidelity, and 2021 will be our chance to see what the studios are pushing for with PS5, Xbox Series X, and the ever improving Frostbite engine. Expect to hear plenty of granular explanations about how development teams are evolving each new entry in their respective franchises, alongside more information about release dates, platforms, and pre-order details.

EA Originals

EA's indie publishing branch has given us some of the best games from the company to date, from Josef Fares' co-op capers It Takes Two and A Way Out, to recently released multiplayer dodgeball tournament Knockout City.

This year's EA Play Live will likely offer another look at Lost in Random, the fantastical platformer from Zoink Games revealed at E3 2020, but that title will hopefully be joined by some fresh reveals of new EA Originals in the works. Personally, I'm banking on a third and final entry in the Unravel series, but the best part about the EA Originals portion of the event is that you never know what to expect.

For more, check out the best RPG games to play right now, or watch our full review of Resident Evil 8 below.