Electronic Arts Inc. and BioWare announced today that Dragon Age: The Veilguard is now available for PlayStation 5 (also enhanced for PS5 Pro), Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam (Steam Deck Verified), EA app and Epic Games Store. This bold, heroic adventure is built to deliver on what the series is best known for: rich storytelling, fantasy worldbuilding, companions & fellowship, and a world where you matter. The next installment in BioWare's beloved franchise has captivated critics worldwide, with outlets such as IGN and GamesRadar+ proclaiming it "deserves its place in the RPG pantheon" and is "A true return to RPG form for BioWare" in their 9/10 and 4.5/5 reviews.

In Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Solas, the Dread Wolf, wants to tear down the Veil that separates Thedas from the world of demons, restoring his people's immortality and glory - even at the cost of countless lives. But his ritual goes awry, and his worst fears are realized, as two of his most ancient and powerful adversaries are released. Players will step into the role of Rook, a fully-customizable protagonist who must rise up and unite their companions to stop these two powerful deities on a journey that will span across Thedas' bustling cities, lush tropics, boreal forests, fettered swamps and deepest depths.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) today announced preliminary financial results for its second quarter ended September 30, 2024. "EA delivered another strong quarter with record Q2 net bookings, driven by our incredible teams, broad portfolio and technology leadership," said Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA. "The momentum in our business reinforces our strategic vision to deliver innovative experiences and interactive entertainment that deepens and expands engagement across our global communities."

"Q2 was another successful quarter for EA, exceeding the high end of our guidance range. As a result, we are also raising our FY25 outlook," said Stuart Canfield, CFO of EA. "We remain confident in our ability to drive long-term value creation through increased scale, driving top-line growth, improved margins, and greater cash flow as shared at our Investor Day."

As we enter the last full week of September, we have another packed week of new game releases to look forward to, although we're not likely to beat last week's lineup of games. This week's major release is a grand strategy game that might just rival the classic Civilization games. This is followed by a chill sandbox construction game set in an era of castles and cottage, a dystopian sci-fi horror looter shooter with a local co-op mode, a sequel to 2019 RPG title, a crafting survival game, but you're a duck, a sci-fi space game combined with a deck builder and finally, some football, of the global kind.

Ara: History Untold / This week's major release / Tuesday 24 September
Ara: History Untold is an evolution in historical grand strategy, featuring beloved classic PC strategy mechanics alongside innovative gameplay like a national crafting economy, true simultaneous turn resolution, a non-linear technology tree, and cloud-backed synchronous/asynchronous multiplayer - all with an expansive and vibrant presentation where you can zoom out from surveying the very edges of your empire all the way down to your citizens living their daily lives. In Ara, there are no pre-set paths to victory, leading to endless possibilities. Your choices will define the world you create, your experience, and your legacy. Steam link

Electronic Arts Inc. confirmed a series of new and exclusive multi-year marketing partnerships and in-game integrations with some of the biggest names in football. This includes exclusive marketing and licensing partnerships with two Italian giants, AS Roma and SSC Napoli, as well as exclusive marketing partnerships with Fenerbahçe SK, Galatasaray S.K., FK Bodø/Glimt and Argentinian league Liga Profesional de Fútbol (LPF), which contributes towards the 700+ clubs and 30+ leagues available in EA SPORTS FC 25.

These partnerships contribute towards an unrivaled level of authenticity in EA SPORTS FC 25, brought to life through a roster of players from the biggest clubs and leagues from around the world. Additionally, the new formats of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League will all feature exclusively in FC 25 Career and Tournament modes to bring a fresh game experience to players.

Bioware has officially announced the launch date for its upcoming Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which will be available on October 31st. Pre-orders for the game have opened up as well, and we got a new official release date trailer, as well as the full PC system requirements.

Powered by the Frostbite engine, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is set in the world of Thedas, and it is probably one of the most anticipated RPGs. It will include several classes, and plenty of skills and weapons to choose from for your team of up to seven companions. Earlier rumors also suggest that Bioware and EA will also announce a partnership for Dragon Age: The Veilguard with AMD, Intel, or NVIDIA.

As we enter the middle of August, this week's major upcoming release is a 4X space strategy game, where your goal is to rule the galaxy. If that's not your cup of tea, then maybe a fast-paced military RTS or a tactical FPS shooter might be more of your thing. Alternatively you could be cleaning up other people's mess, build a massive production line or kick an inflated pig's bladder around a field. In other words, half of this week's release is some kind of strategy game.

Sins of a Solar Empire II / This week's major release / Thursday 15 August
Sins of a Solar Empire II is the sequel to the critically acclaimed space strategy game that seamlessly blends real-time battle tactics with the depth of 4X. As both emperor and battle commander you must lead one of six playable factions to victory against the threat of extinction! There are no turns. There is no battle mode. There is no strategic mode. It's all one mode and it's all in real-time. Steam Link

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) today announced preliminary financial results for its first quarter ended June 30, 2024. "EA delivered a strong start to FY25, beating net bookings guidance as we continue to execute across our business," said Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA. "Our focus on delivering bigger, bolder, and more connected experiences for our players has never been sharper and is illustrated by the record-breaking launch of EA SPORTS College Football 25 as we head into another historic Q2 sports season at EA."

"Strong execution, live events and continued player engagement across our experiences, delivered Q1 results above expectations," said Stuart Canfield, CFO of EA. "Looking ahead, the remarkable success of our launch week for College Football, combined with the upcoming launches for EA SPORTS Madden NFL, EA SPORTS FC and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is building momentum for FY25 and beyond. We are well positioned to deliver our multi-year financial objectives."

More than 500 games and applications feature RTX technologies, and each week new games integrating NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and advanced ray-traced effects are released or announced, delivering the definitive PC experience for GeForce RTX players. Last week, the stunningly-rendered, critically-acclaimed Senua's Saga: Hellblade II launched with day-one support for DLSS 3 and Reflex, followed by the release of Serum with DLSS 3, DLAA and Reflex, and Ships At Sea and Wuthering Waves with DLSS 2. This week, DLSS momentum continues with the launch of DLSS 3 in EA SPORTS F1 24, and DLSS 2 in Capes.

EA SPORTS F1 24 Arrives On The Grid May 31st, Featuring DLSS 3, DLAA, Reflex & Ray Tracing
Race as one of the 20 real-life drivers in EA SPORTS F1 24, the official video game of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship. Unleash your champion in pursuit of a legacy-defining F1 Career, the mode's first major update since 2016. Drive like the greatest and feel at one with the car through the all-new EA SPORTS Dynamic Handling System, and experience the best F1 racing to date thanks to all of the game's new additions and enhancements.

We are thrilled to share that over the next few weeks, the EA app will officially replace Origin as our primary Mac platform. A faster, more reliable, and more streamlined experience - it's the best place for you to experience EA's incredible games, services and content. With the new streamlined design you will easily find the games and content you're looking for and discover your new favorite games. With automatic game downloads and background updates you can ensure that your games are ready to play when you are.

For existing Origin players, we've worked hard to make the transition to the EA app as simple as possible. When you get there, all your games and content, including games already installed on Origin, will be ready and waiting for you. Your local and cloud saves will transfer forward ensuring you can pick up where you left off. New players will start by downloading a new favorite game and jump into the action with our optimized experience. Players on unsupported macOS devices can continue to enjoy their favorite games on Origin.

March 26 2024 is not only the three-year anniversary for It Takes Two…the game has now sold over 16 MILLION units!!! 🤯 Mind-blowing that over 30 million fans have now played it, love you all so much. ❤️ What a way to start off a very exciting year…

Something out of the Ordinary
Bring your favorite co-op partner and together step into the shoes of May and Cody. As the couple is going through a divorce, through unknown means their minds are transported into two dolls which their daughter, Rose, made to represent them. Now they must reluctantly find a way to get back into their bodies, a quest which takes them through the most wild, unexpected and fantastical journey imaginable. Released in 2021 to critical and fan acclaim, It Takes Two further builds on Hazelight's proven track record of making rich and engaging co-op experiences. While developing It Takes Two it has been the team's number one priority to truly merge story and gameplay. Allowing both to influence each other guarantees a game that is as engaging to play as it is compelling to experience.

Our favorite thing about Zau might surprise you. Or, it might be the first thing you noticed. In a recent Discord Q+A (viewable below), ZAU Creative Director Abubakar Salim throws the deceptively simple question to Lead Artist Ackeem Durrant and Lead Designer Zi Peters: what's your favorite thing about our main character? Since our reveal in December, we've been completely floored by how many of you took the leap to pre-order ZAU. We worked hard to give the game a fair price—and a 10% discount to everyone who buys before launch day - plus carefully crafted in-game content that feels special while not detracting from our central vision for the game. We're incredibly grateful for your support. Thank you.

Wield the dance of the shaman. Reclaim your father's spirit
A grieving boy begins to read a Bantu tale written by his late father. Adventure into the beautiful and treacherous lands of Kenzera as Zau, a young shaman who bargains with the God of death to bring his Baba back from darkness. With your cosmic powers and untried courage, you advance into unknown mythological lands. Once bursting with life, Kenzera is now rife with lost ancestral spirits. As Zau advances toward his goal, 3 mighty beings lie in wait, fearsome in their strength yet somehow strangely familiar. Will you embrace the dance of the shaman?

Today, in celebration of Women's History Month, EA SPORTS FC announced a new sponsorship deal with long-standing partners UEFA, to become title partners of their Women In Football Leadership Program (WFLP). Now in its tenth year, the WFLP is an annual week-long program, supported by the IMD Business School, aimed at advancing the careers of women capable of influencing the football industry, both today and in the future. The program has been running since 2014, benefitting over 240 women so far.

This year's program, in partnership with EA SPORTS FC, will take place in August at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, supporting over 30 women from across the football industry, with candidates selected based on their future potential in the world of football. Involving key-note speeches from existing leaders in the industry, a variety of group training sessions, as well as one-on-one-coaching, the WFLP is designed to improve leadership skills, encourage networking and build self-confidence in order for the participants to achieve their full potential.

San Francisco's annual Game Developers Conference (GDC) returns next week, bringing game devs together to share stories, experiences, and advice on everything from lighting scenes to writing resumes. Electronic Arts speakers will be participating in more than 25 in-person sessions this year, including multiple talks touching on innovative technologies driving the creation of next-gen games at EA.

This year's tech-focused sessions dig into the details of several successes, including Frostbite's non-interruptive expansion to new gaming platforms, SEED's work generating photorealistic facial rigs, and techniques for high-fidelity cloth simulation in Frostbite for EA SPORTS FC 24. There's also a fantastic talk from Respawn's Christopher Pierse and Samy Duc that explores the evolution of matchmaking techniques in Apex Legends, going all the way back to 2019.

Electronic Arts revealed a workforce reduction program last week—reportedly impacting around 670 employees—alongside announcements regarding a number of major development project cancellations and reassignments. Laura Miele, President of EA Entertainment and Technology, disclosed that Respawn Entertainment's mysterious "Star Wars FPS Action game" had been axed, with staffers moving onto "new projects based on our owned brands" instead of licensed material. Industry insider reports suggested that an internal Respawn team—not assigned to a "Star Wars: Jedi" sequel—had started work on a Mandalorian/bounty hunter-themed first-person shooter IP. The official announcement of a renewed focus on Respawn's "rich library of owned brands" has generated plenty of internet speculation—Titanfall franchise fans have long demanded a proper third entry in the series. Studio boss, Vince Zampella, has teased revisits in the past—an Axios interview revealed that veteran Titanfall game director, Steve Fukuda, was incubating "something new" with a very small skunkworks-type team.

Earlier this week, Giant Bomb's Jeff Grubb addressed rumored goings-on at Respawn. His "Game Mess Mornings 03/04/24" videocast—co-hosted by Emma Fyffe—included a segment dedicated to EA's adjusted development strategies. Grubb reiterated insider information about "Titanfall Legends" getting canned early on last year—allegedly a single-player Apex/Titanfall crossover experience. Giant Bomb's News Editor has reached out to his network of moles—he shared this inside info during Monday's broadcast: "They're not making Titanfall 3. They just straight up aren't. They do have another team that has been kicking around a project that is very early. There's been a very small team in the prototyping phase and now they're going to go to wider. This is a real project now, but still in the prototyping phase. This game, as it stands today, as far as I understand, is a Titanfall game. It's in the Titanfall universe. But everyone I talk to keeps saying, don't get in your mind that it's Titanfall 3, a game with online multiplayer and a single player campaign."

Team, we are entertaining, inspiring, and connecting more people with more content and deeper experiences than ever before. Over the last year, we have organized our company to further empower our creative leaders to deliver our strategic priorities of entertaining massive online communities, telling blockbuster stories, and harnessing the power of community in and around our games. These actions have positioned us to build bigger, bolder experiences for hundreds of millions of players and fans around the world. We are also leading through an accelerating industry transformation where player needs and motivations have changed significantly. Fans are increasingly engaging with the largest IP, and looking to us for broader experiences where they can play, watch, create content, and forge deeper connections. Our industry exists at the cutting edge of entertainment, and in today's dynamic environment, we are advancing the way we work and continuing to evolve our business.

As a company full of creators and storytellers, we believe in the value of teams innovating together, and continue to learn and adopt new ways of collaborating to grow and serve our global communities. Given how and where we are working, we are continuing to optimize our global real estate footprint to best support our business. We are also sunsetting games and moving away from development of future licensed IP that we do not believe will be successful in our changing industry. This greater focus allows us to drive creativity, accelerate innovation, and double down on our biggest opportunities—including our owned IP, sports, and massive online communities—to deliver the entertainment players want today and tomorrow. Lastly, we are streamlining our company operations to deliver deeper, more connected experiences for fans everywhere that build community, shape culture, and grow fandom.

Surprise! We're still here, and not just here - we have a whole year's worth of content coming to you! NFS turns 30 this year, and with that huge legacy, we couldn't stand idle. However, this year will be a bit different from the previous one. Because here's the thing—the NFS legacy signifies different things to each and every one of you. Some of you were there at the start of it all on Road and Track. Some of you will remember taking on the Eastsiders in Olympic City or smashing your way through the Blacklist in Rockport. Or you might have started playing more recently. Hustling by day and risking it all by night in Palm City. No matter your memory, we all have a shared love of NFS, and we want to build new memories over the next 12 months.

But, we'll be honest and admit we can't build everything everyone wants right now, but we can decide together what NFS should be in the future. Our vision is that through our second year of live service, you can, for the first time, begin to play the ultimate NFS experience in one place. Your feedback and gameplay will help shape the future of this iconic franchise. As you play, we will be listening, observing and reacting to the things you want to see and those you don't. It's an approach that we're calling Kaizen.

Job listings posted by Respawn Entertainment last summer indicated that their Star Wars Jedi: Survivor development team had moved onto an unsurprising project—the ideal candidate(s) would help: "create an incredible Star Wars experience for our players in a fun, third-person action-adventure setting." Games industry watchers believe that a third Star Wars Jedi title is in the works, given that the franchise has—so far—generated a large paying audience. Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson reckons that another Star Wars IP has been bestowed upon Electronic Art's action specialist studio—the report posits that this rumored project is in an early stage of development. Veteran developers at Respawn Entertainment have a long history of producing blockbuster first-person shooter titles, although Apex Legends signaled a slight change in course. Their deviation into third-person with 2019's Jedi: Fallen Order also surprised a segment of longtime Respawn fans.

It is possible that the Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games partnership has incubated a new first-person title semi-connected to a popular Star Wars television series IP—Henderson has gathered a few tidbits: "according to sources, the game will see the player take control of a Mandalorian bounty hunter (unclear who) set during the time when the Galactic Empire is dominating across the galaxy. It's your job, as a bounty hunter to capture bounties dead or alive for cash rewards." Rumor mill wires were crossed when it was claimed that a former Apex Legend director was heading up development on the unannounced "Mandalorian" project, but an Insider Gaming update reveals that the former Respawn member was involved in development of a cancelled Apex title.

Bungie has announced its new collaboration with EA and BioWare to allow Guardians to join the crew of the Normandy with new cosmetics and in-game items, launching February 13, 2024. The Normandy Crew Bundle will be available at the Eververse store in-game and will include a Commander Shepard-inspired N7 armor set for Titans, a Garrus-inspired Vakarian set for Hunters, and a Liara-inspired Shadow Broker set for Warlocks. In celebration of the partnership, all players will be able to claim the Alliance Requisitions Bundle, including the Enhanced Defense Ghost Shell, Alliance Scout Frigate ship, and Alliance Drop Ship Sparrow, which will be available at no cost. Players can also get the Omni Strike finisher and Flux Dance emote for Silver.

Now released in Destiny 2, Riven's Wishes are new weekly quests open to all players from January 30 until March 12. During this period, Guardians will be tasked with completing a pursuit each week to earn a token redeemable for a treasure trove of rewards. Choose from the Wish for Strength to earn Last Wish raid Deepsight weapons, Wish for Protection to armor up with Exotic gear from the Lightfall year, or Wish for Beauty to collect event mementos and essential Ascendant crafting materials.

Electronic Arts in Canada is actively recruiting for a VFX Director position at its Ripple Effect studio—the job listing implies that the ideal candidate will be set to work on the next mainline Battlefield title. EA has implemented a cross-studio development system, where multiple teams have helped to build AAA games, including their controversial plus troubled Battlefield 2042 entry—the popular online shooter series has been steered primarily by DICE in Stockholm, Sweden. Several satellite outfits assisted in producing BF 2042, including Ripple Effect (an "evolution" of DICE LA), but the multiplayer gaming community was disappointed to discover that EA's massive deployment of resources did not result in comprehensive environmental destruction within 2042's gargantuan maps.

Insider Gaming has been keeping tabs on recruitment drives at EA's miscellaneous "Battlefield 6" studios, in order to extract clues about the game's origins and progress. We know very little about the status of BF6, beyond Vince Zampella's declarations from Autumn 2023. His Los Angeles studio appears to be leading the charge; industry insiders believe that DICE Stockholm has been demoted in EA's studio hierarchy. The latest Ripple effect job advert provides a promising insight for Battlefield fans who enjoyed the "Levolution" aspect of Battlefield 4's changing environs: "We are looking for a Senior 3D Artist like you to help us create the most realistic and exciting destruction effects in the industry. You will report to our Art Line Manager, based in our studio in Los Angeles, CA. We are looking for candidates located in Vancouver with remote options." Zampella and Co. are likely having to up the ante, following the launch of "The Finals"—an Unreal 5 engine-powered shooter developed by former DICE veterans. Embark Studios have implemented some impressive destruction effects—serving as a key component of the game's mechanics.

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) today announced the PlayStation 5 console (PS5) has surpassed 50 million units sold through to consumers, three years since its Nov. 2020 launch. Thanks to the support of PlayStation fans globally, the PS5 console has experienced strong momentum this year, driven by a slate of highly popular games and SIE's continued focus on bringing innovation to the gaming experience, including PS5 game streaming for PlayStation Plus Premium members.

"Achieving this PS5 sales milestone is a testament to the unwavering support of the global PlayStation community and their passion for the incredible experiences created by the talented developers from PlayStation Studios and our partners," said Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. "We're grateful for all of our players who have joined the PS5 journey so far, and we're thrilled that this is the first holiday season since launch that we have a full supply of PS5 consoles—so anyone who wants to get one can get one."

Gear up with gratitude for more gaming time. GeForce NOW brings members a cornucopia of 15 newly supported games to the cloud this week. That's just the start - there are a total of 54 titles coming in the month of November. Members can also join thousands of esports fans in the cloud with the addition of Virtex Stadium to the GeForce NOW library for a "League of Legends" world championship viewing party.

Esports Like Never Before
This year's League of Legends world championship finals are coming to Virtex Stadium - an online virtual stadium now streaming on NVIDIA's cloud gaming infrastructure. In Virtex Stadium, esports fans can hang out with friends from across the world, create and personalize avatars, and watch live competitions together - all from the comfort of their homes. Starting on Thursday, Nov. 2, watch League of Legends Worlds 2023 in Virtex Stadium with thousands of others. Use props and emotes to cheer players on together via chat.

The wait is almost over. We are days away from the launch of EA Sports WRC, the biggest rally game Codemasters has made to date. EA Sports WRC is out November 3, let's go through everything you need to know before the big day. Jump straight into the action as soon as the game launches. Pre-load on the dates below.

November 3, the worldwide launch of EA SPORTS WRC at 04:00am UTC across all platforms. Get into the game earlier by, pre-ordering the digital version for up to 3 days early access starting on October 31 at 07:00 UTC across all platforms and EA Play Pro.

As we're about to enter the last week of September, we have another somewhat slow week of new releases, that is unless you're a football fan, the kind with a round ball, not the oblong pig bladder kind. That said, if you're into trains, house building, hunting relics or ever wanted to know what it's like to jump between worlds, there might be something for you this week as well.

EA Sports FC 24 / This week's AAA title / Thursday 28 September
EA Sports FC 24 welcomes you to The World's Game: the most true-to-football experience ever with HyperMotionV, PlayStyles optimised by Opta, and an enhanced Frostbite. Join us in building the future of football on a foundation of innovation and authenticity with more than 19,000 fully licensed players, 700 teams, and 30 leagues.

Hi Everyone, today I'd like to share that the talented team at Criterion Games will be joining EA Entertainment. Criterion has a rich history in gaming, having worked on Battlefield, Battlefront, Burnout, and of course, Need for Speed. I'm thrilled to have a studio with such pedigree join the studios I oversee. As we've said before, we're all-in on Battlefield. Today, Criterion is added to our world-class Battlefield studios dedicated to ushering in a new era for the franchise.

The majority of the team will be working alongside DICE, Ripple Effect, and Ridgeline that are led by Byron Beede, GM of Battlefield. Criterion's experience with Battlefield, our technology and building engaging experiences will have an immediate positive impact as we continue to work on Battlefield 2042, and as we continue pre-production on a connected Battlefield Universe. There is no better studio to join us on this journey and I couldn't be more excited.

Late last year, we officially launched EA's next-generation game platform, the EA app, for Windows OS. A faster, more reliable, and more streamlined experience - it's the best place for you to experience EA's incredible games, services and content.

We've been working to bring the same updated experience to our Mac players. Today, we're excited to say that the EA app for Mac will soon replace Origin as our primary Mac platform. The EA app is our fastest and lightest Mac client to date. With the new streamlined design you will easily find the games and content you're looking for and discover your new favorite games. With simple content downloads and background updates you can ensure that your games are ready to play when you are.