A former Respawn Entertainment employee has revealed the recent cancellation of an "unannounced incubation project." The ex-team member's LinkedIn profile post/job-seeking alert (now removed) was widely reported on by games media outlets; leading to speculation regarding the mystery title's origins and identity. The Los Angeles, California-based company created a "new game incubation team" not too long ago—recruitment information from last year pointed to a role description that demanded: "significant professional experience designing multiplayer FPS experiences." Respawn Entertainment operates as a multi-team and multi-location development studio—with branches working on Apex Legends, Star Wars and mystery IPs. The Electronic Arts-owned firm is masterminded by Vince Zampella; a veteran developer of popular first-person shooter franchises. Based on recent official account disclosures, the EA executive is currently tasked with the challenging revival of Battlefield's fortunes.

In 2023, Zampella indicated that he was open to revisiting Respawn's long-dormant Titanfall intellectual property. The second entry in the series underperformed sales-wise when it first launched back in October 2016. Despite a fantastic critical reception and vocal support from Titanfall 2's audience, EA leadership decided to put the franchise on ice. Last March, insiders started to make speculative noise about a revival—Steve Fukuda was mentioned in leaks. His CV lists the helming of development on both Titanfall 1 and 2; as game director. The latest talk of a canceled project was soon linked back to Respawn's rumored "unannounced Titanfall IP" prototype. Respawn's website still advertises the existence of their "new game incubation team," but links lead to recruitment posts for other "active" projects. EA officially announced the shelving of the studio's "Star Wars FPS Action game" around early 2024. Respawn and EA are likely focusing on core franchises for the foreseeable future; their Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel seems to be a safe bet.

Josef Fares is a passionate creator, innovator, and a bold leader. These qualities have long served him well as the Director of Hazelight Studios, where he's built a reputation for delivering emotionally charged and deeply immersive interactive entertainment experiences. Known for his unique style and knack for blending humor, heart, and innovative gameplay, Fares has captivated the gaming world with his work on titles like A Way Out and critical darling It Takes Two. And now, after years of anticipation and dedication, Josef is back with Hazelight's latest creation: Split Fiction.

We sat down with Josef prior to launch (available March 6 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and through the EA app) for an exclusive Q&A to dive into the creative process behind Split Fiction, the challenges of bringing such a complex vision to life, and one level in particular that he believes is something that has never been seen before in video games. Let's dive in!

Embrace the power of friendship and explore sci-fi and fantasy worlds with your co-op buddy today! A message from Hazelight Studios—every game we've released has embraced a key word. In "A Way Out" it was "Trust" and in "It Takes Two" it was "Collaboration." With Split Fiction, it's all about "Friendship." That is also the heart of the experience we hope you will have as you play the game. Whether it is strengthening your bond with a partner or immersing yourself in the journey with an old friend.

We created Split Fiction by putting passion, creativity and a big love of video games first. This is a game that was built collaboratively by everyone at Hazelight and we haven't shied away from putting not only our best but also wildest ideas into it. We hope you will enjoy playing our game as much as we did making it. We are so eager to let you and other players around the world finally dive into our latest co-op adventure. To say that we're proud of it is an understatement! We also hope you will make those lasting memories in Split Fiction that only come from sharing an experience with someone else - that's what it's all about in the end.

Time for a roaring-good time with Capcom's hit Monster Hunter Wilds. GeForce NOW members can hunt even the largest, most daunting monsters with the sharpest clarity, armed with a GeForce RTX 4080-class gaming rig in the cloud. Plus, jump into mind-bending adventures with Split Fiction from Hazelight Studios, an action-adventure experience that will keep players on the edges of their seats with plenty of unexpected twists. It's all part of the eight games available to stream in the cloud this week.

The Hunt Begins
Happy hunting in the cloud. The unbridled force of nature runs wild and relentless in Monster Hunter Wilds, with environments transforming drastically from one moment to the next. This is a story of monsters and humans and their struggles to live in harmony in a world of duality. Members can fulfill their duties as a Hunter by tracking and defeating powerful monsters and forging strong, new weapons and armor from materials harvested from the hunt, all while uncovering the connection between the people of the Forbidden Lands and the locales they inhabit.

Today is a great day to be a gamer, as EA and Hazelight Studios unveiled Split Fiction: Friend Edition - a very special edition of the anticipated co-op adventure from the team behind the 2021 Game of the Year winner, It Takes Two. This limited edition of Split Fiction comes with all the essentials for you to jump straight into amazing co-op gaming - a copy of the game, a second controller, and for the first (and maybe only) time ever, a real friend shipped straight to your door. Get ready, because Split Fiction: Friend Edition is coming soon to a couch near you.

"As a gamer, being part of an epic special edition like this is awesome! I'm honored to be the first ever real-life friend to come with a game," said Greg, a companion that players can unbox by ordering Split Fiction: Friend Edition. "It was a little scary when Josef Fares told me to go into the packaging, but it's roomier and comfier than it looks. I'm excited to travel the world and make a new friend. I've got snacks to share and high fives to hand out as soon as I'm unboxed."

On June 1, 1988, the very first Madden video game was released to the world. Players needed to load up either a Commodore 64/Commodore 128, Apple II, or MS-DOS to launch the game. When they did, they were greeted with 8-bit animations of the NFL's most popular teams and found themselves controlling their favorite players to try and win themselves a Super Bowl. And at that time, it was amazing. Thirty-seven years later and EA SPORTS hasn't stopped advancing Madden and our American Football games.

Most recently, we launched EA SPORTS Madden NFL 25 and College Football 25, which are tentpoles of our beloved American Football Ecosystem. Yet our football games are no longer blocky pixels and four-directional controls. They're among the most realistic sports simulation titles on the planet. We even celebrated the recent Super Bowl weekend with these titles and our very own Madden Bowl, featuring championship games and incredible music all in the heart of New Orleans. This is in no small part due to the incredible teams and their mission to make our games better every single year. And technology plays a critical role in making this happen.

EA has released the source code for four legacy Command & Conquer titles under the GPL license, making them freely available to the public on Github. This includes the original source code for Command & Conquer and Red Alert, as well as the SAGE-powered Command & Conquer: Renegade and Command & Conquer: Generals. While fan projects such as OpenRA and OpenSAGE have developed their own versions of these games' code, access to the original source code is a big plus for video game preservation and future development.

The restoration and release of the source code were made possible through the efforts of EA technical director Brian Barnes, Respawn producer Jim Vessella, and Luke Feenan, a long-time member of the Command & Conquer community. To accompany this announcement, EA has also released a 35-minute video featuring alpha gameplay and previously unseen archival footage from Command & Conquer: Generals and Renegade.

GeForce NOW is blooming further with an array of 14 new titles in March. A garden of gaming delights will have members marching straight into action and adventure this spring, with Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows, Tripwire Interactive's Killing Floor 3 and Hazelight Studio's Split Fiction coming to the cloud next week at launch. Start off with six games coming to the cloud this week, including Halo: The Master Chief Collection. And don't miss out on the latest update for miHoYo's hit game Honkai: Star Rail. GeForce NOW one-month and six-month Performance and Ultimate memberships are available for new members to purchase again in the US, Canada and Europe, as well as the free tier. Stay tuned for updates as more membership options become available.

Split Adventure
Hazelight Studios, creators of the acclaimed It Takes Two, are returning with a new and imaginative co-op game: Split Fiction. The narrative-driven adventure follows Mio, a writer of science fiction, and Zoe, a fantasy author, who find themselves trapped in a simulation stealing their stories. Adventure across wildly shifting worlds, ranging from the dazzling, neon-drenched landscapes of futuristic cyberpunk cities to the enchanted, dragon-populated depths of ancient forests.

If you've played a Hazelight Studios game before, you know that the characters they create for you and your co-op partner come with unique personalities, backgrounds, and motivations that produce unforgettable moments as their stories unfold. Hazelight Studios is keeping that trend up as they introduce two new player characters in Split Fiction, which is launching on March 6. Take control of two unpublished authors, Mio and Zoe, who you will quickly find are worlds apart! When you first meet Mio and Zoe, they have been lured into Rader Publishing Headquarters with the promise of a potential publishing deal which goes horribly wrong, trapping them inside a simulation of their stories which you have to help them escape. In this blog, we're diving deeper into their characters so that you can confidently pick your favorite when you get your hands on the game!

Mio Hudson—Science Fiction author
Reserved. Decisive. Realist. Introvert. Raised in the city with her father, Mio has barely scraped by for the last couple of years. She isn't looking for fame or recognition as an author, she's just in it for the money. Her love for all things sci-fi is reflected in her literary works, taking place in neon-lit cyberpunk cities, harsh futuristic weapon plants, and even in the coldness of outer space. Expect to see her love for sci-fi shine through in the abilities she gains inside the simulations, where she may become a gravity-defying ninja equipped with a lethally sharp energy sword, wear an advanced exosuit that grants remote control of drones, or dual-wield laser blasters in futuristic combat armor.

25 years ago, The Sims made history with the first instalment of a legendary series that would go on to be one of the best-selling of all time. Few simulation games have enjoyed the success and longevity of The Sims—and the freedom and creativity to play with life however you want has afforded the series near-unrivalled appeal in the years since. This week, Electronic Arts is celebrating this milestone and the history of the series in a big way, which includes a huge The Sims 4 Free Content Update containing new Create a Sim options, clothing, Build/Buy Items and much more. The festivities will also include the limited-time Blast From The Past Event, which lets players earn revamped versions of iconic items from the original The Sims game via in-game goals.

We had the opportunity to chat with Kevin Gibson, Production Director for The Sims at EA. Gibson has been working in production roles across the franchise since 2003, and has first-hand experience of how the series has evolved in that time. The studio is abuzz with excitement about the franchise's birthday, and Gibson shares that digging deep into the series' past to rediscover nostalgic highlights has been extremely rewarding. "Our incredible players have shown us that no one does life like The Sims, and we wanted to celebrate this journey we have been on together," Gibson says. "25 years ago there was a game with an idea that made big a splash at E3, and look where we are today! We've been part of multiple generations and touched millions of lives.

During yesterday's "Battlefield Labs" announcement, Electronic Arts revealed the full extent of its international multi-team development setup—dubbed "Battlefield Studios." According to their recent presentation, franchise originator—DICE (Stockholm)—is working alongside Ripple Effect (formerly DICE Los Angeles), Motive (Montreal) and Criterion (Guildford). EA's British studio is best known for its past work—most notably (going back nearly twenty-five years ago) the Burnout series and newer Need for Speed titles. The Surrey-based outfit appears to be completely devoted to working on the next Battlefield entry's single-player component—older press releases hinted about a new Need for Speed project. Around autumn 2023, Vince Zampella (Battlefield franchise overseer) announced that the majority of Criterion's team had shifted over to working on a next-gen Battlefield title, while a smaller "core group" would: "continue on what's next for Need for Speed."

Almost a year ago, Criterion and EA celebrated the Need for Speed franchise's thirtieth anniversary—a press release focused mainly on roadmapped content for Need for Speed Unbound (2022). The game was updated with a final chunk of post-release content last November. Eurogamer took it upon themselves to investigate Criterion's current internal formation, given that support duties have concluded on the NFS Unbound project. The online publication received a response from EA's top-most Battlefield developer. Zampella said in a statement to Eurogamer: "the Need for Speed team at Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield...As a company, it was important to us to take the last year to listen to our Need for Speed community and use their feedback to create content for Unbound...With an increased understanding of what our players want in a Need for Speed experience, we plan to bring the franchise back in new and interesting ways."

Today, the storied Battlefield franchise known for uncompromising all-out warfare and world-class gameplay for over two decades, announced the most ambitious community testing program in franchise history - Battlefield Labs. The work on the next Battlefield experience is entering a critical phase in development that will benefit from collaboration with the community like never before.

Sign Up for Battlefield Labs Are Now Open
The first phase of Battlefield Labs testing will go live in the coming weeks, and sign up to players is available now at battlefield.com/labs. Initial tests will include an invited group of players and servers located in Europe and North America ahead of plans to expand invitees and server locations in the future.

It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since The Sims made its debut, but we're so grateful to have shared this incredible journey with so many of you. No one does life like The Sims, and as we gear up for next week's celebrations, what better way to kick things off than with a cultural comeback? That's right—we're taking it back to where it all began with the launch of The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle! You've been asking for it, and we're thrilled to finally return to the days when we first reimagined the ways people play with life.

To celebrate our legacy and honor the incredible fans that have been with us along the way, we're re-releasing two fan-favorite titles that contain familiar neighborhoods and beloved characters - such as the sneaky burglar, unpredictable genie, and Sunny the Tragic Clown—that started it all. Rediscover the nostalgia and magic of the classics that welcomed so many of you into our amazing community. The Sims 25th Birthday Bundle includes The Sims and The Sims 2, featuring all the iconic characters, music, and gameplay you know and love, plus bonus content! You can also purchase The Sims: Legacy Collection and The Sims 2: Legacy Collection separately. We're so excited for you to play, create, and relive the fun across re-releases of these beloved games, rolling out globally on Windows 10 and 11 beginning on January 31, 2025.

Hello Everyone. We are turning towards the future and preparing for the next chapter in BioWare's story. As we announced in August 2023, we are changing how we build games to meet the needs of our upcoming projects and hold ourselves to the highest quality standards. Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others.

In keeping with our fierce commitment to innovating during the development and delivery of Mass Effect, we have challenged ourselves to think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans. We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare. Given this stage of development, we don't require support from the full studio. We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we have worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit. Today's news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs. We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare. Gary McKay—General Manager, BioWare

The Story So Far—You and your co-op partner play together as Mio & Zoe, two writers stuck in a simulation of their own stories while visiting the shady new Rader Publishing headquarters in pursuit of a lucrative publishing deal. An accident puts Mio and Zoe inside the same shared simulation, throwing them back and forth between their own sci-fi and fantasy fiction while the nefarious publishing company tries to steal all of their ideas.

What Are Side Stories?
If you've played A Way Out or It Takes Two before, you'll know that Hazelight Studios are masters of co-op gameplay variety. In addition to all of the incredible sci-fi and fantasy variety featured in the Split Fiction main story, you will encounter mysterious, out of place portals that you can enter to explore all new and vastly different worlds and locations that are completely optional.

On April 17, 2025, Origin will shut down, as Microsoft has stopped supporting 32-bit software. If you use Origin, you need to upgrade to the EA app, which requires a 64-bit version of Windows. Find out how to update your Windows operating system to get the most out of the EA app.

What is the EA app?
The EA app is our enhanced platform for PC games. Optimized for the best user experience, it lets you easily find what you need and get into the game quicker than ever. Don't have it yet? Download the EA app here. The EA app doesn't support 32-bit versions of Windows. You'll need to upgrade to a 64-bit operating system on your device to play your games. See if the version of Windows you're running is 32 or 64-bit.

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.