At Xbox, our goal is to empower as many people as possible to play the games they want, with the people they want, anywhere they want, in a way that works for them. This includes the more than 429 million players with some form of disability, who may rely on a variety of accessibility hardware - such as the recently launched Xbox Adaptive Joystick—and features to get the most from their gaming. For many players, it can be a challenge not having a common and consistent language to describe the accessibility features within different video games. To help solve this, Xbox introduced its Game Accessibility Feature Tags back in November 2021.

But we want to do more; at Game Developers Conference (GDC), Xbox proudly joined forces with Electronic Arts, Google, Nintendo of America, Ubisoft and other gaming companies to announce that it is a member of the new Accessible Games Initiative. This initiative, helmed by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), strives to provide players with clear information about the accessibility features in video games through a set of "tags" that players can use to identify the features available in a specific game, before they make a purchase.

Pick up MySims: Cozy Bundle and rediscover the charm of two classic MySims games. Use your imagination to rebuild a town in MySims and help a cute magical land become an even better place in MySims Kingdom. There are stories to uncover, locations to explore, and lots of characters with big personalities to have fun with. Meet funny, friendly characters filled with personality! Some will be with you the whole time, and others you'll meet as you play and explore. Help them, give them gifts, and become friends (or even BEST friends!) as they inspire you to get even more creative. You're not only building houses, you're building communities of memorable, adorable townies!

Sul Sul, MySimmers! MySims is now available on Steam! We have loved bringing this game to you on Switch, so we're excited that PC gamers now get to enjoy the same levels of cozy customization. But we aren't done *just* yet. We have also been working hard on a couple new additions that will be coming to PC soon…. Stay tuned for more updates…

Back in January 2022, Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games announced a new "Star Wars strategy game." Press material revealed a production collaboration between Respawn Entertainment and Bit Reactor. The latter party was described as a: "newly formed studio, helmed by games industry veteran Greg Foerstch (ex-Firaxis Games). Respawn will produce the new Star Wars strategy game while Bit Reactor leads on the development of the title." EA's PR piece did not go into major detail, given the very early nature of the generically monikered strategy project. In the interim, Bit Reactor has spent just over three years of production time on their mystery title. Last Friday, the official Star Wars website published a schedule for next month's Celebration LIVE! Japan event.

Eagle-eyed journos and fans soon noticed an intriguing entry, titled: "Bit Reactor Developer Panel featuring Respawn Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games." The April 19 early Saturday evening slot—4:30PM to 5:30PM, Live on the Galaxy Stage—will be dedicated to a "first look at a new Star Wars turn-based tactics game." According to reports from last summer, Greg Foerstch and fourteen other former Firaxis team members are involved in the making of the EA/Lucasfilm's unnamed Star Wars turn-based IP. Interestingly, a Bit Reactor 2024 blog post goes to great lengths in explaining that there is more to their internal makeup than being mere "XCOM" veterans. The scope of Respawn Entertainment's involvement is not clear, but Vince Zampella's studio is primarily working on an untitled Star Wars Jedi: Survivor sequel. Earlier on in March, an ex-employee leak indicated the unfortunate cancelation of an unannounced first-person shooter game. Industry watchdogs believe that the now dissolved Respawn "new game incubation team" was tasked with the creation of a Titanfall multiplayer prototype.

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.

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.

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."

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.

As promised earlier, Archetype Entertainment, an Austin-based video game studio comprised of veteran AAA developers, including the legendary RPG creator James Ohlen, has released the new gameplay trailer for its new EXODUS game, called "EXODUS: The Traveler's Creed." Running at two minutes flat, the trailer shows what appears to be a Mass Effect-like third-person action RPG game, with some interesting twist to the gameplay.

In case you missed it, Archetype Entertainment was established back in 2019 as a division game developer and publisher Wizards of the Coast, and, in addition to James Ohlen, an ex-BioWare veteran, the studio also includes other RPG developers from Naughty Dog, 343 Industries, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, and other studios. In EXODUS, their new game, "humanity has fled a dying Earth, finding a new home in a hostile galaxy - here, we are the underdogs fighting for survival," putting the user in the role of "The Traveler", humanity's last hope. Set in an original sci-fi universe, the game is built around the impact of Time Dilation, where days in the different galaxy are decades back home, which will somehow impact the choices you make in the game and more, so it will be interesting to see how it is used in the game.

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."

Bundle up this fall with GeForce NOW and Dragon Age: The Veilguard with a special, limited-time promotion just for members. The highly anticipated role-playing game (RPG) leads 10 titles joining the ever-growing GeForce NOW library of over 2,000 games.

A Heroic Bundle
Fight for Thedas' future at Ultimate quality this fall as new and existing members who purchase six months of GeForce NOW Ultimate can get BioWare and Electronic Arts' epic RPG Dragon Age: The Veilguard for free when it releases on Oct. 31. Rise as Rook, Dragon Age's newest hero. Lead a team of seven companions, each with their own unique story, against a new evil rising in Thedas. The latest entry in the legendary Dragon Age franchise lets players customize their characters and engage with new romancable companions whose stories unfold over time. Band together and become the Veilguard. Ultimate members can experience BioWare's latest entry at full GeForce quality, with support for NVIDIA DLSS 3, low-latency gameplay with NVIDIA Reflex, and enhanced image quality and immersion with ray-traced ambient occlusion and reflections. Ultimate members can also play popular PC games at up to 4K resolution with extended session lengths, even on low-spec devices. Move fast - this bundle is only available for a limited time until Oct. 30.

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.

In December we celebrated the release of over 500 RTX-enhanced games and apps. And now, we've already surpassed 600 RTX games and apps, as adoption of NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex and advanced ray-traced effects continues to accelerate! RTX encompasses an ecosystem of technologies that make high-performance, high fidelity gaming a reality. Ray Tracing, powered by dedicated RT Cores, brings immersive and realistic lighting and reflections to games. NVIDIA DLSS, made possible by Tensor Cores, enables industry-leading AI graphics acceleration, capable of delivering up to 5 times faster performance in the most immersive games, like Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, Cyberpunk 2077, and Star Wars Outlaws.

RTX is also integrated in the world's leading creative applications, accelerating workflows by orders of magnitude, powering exciting AI tools and enhancements, and enabling real-time ray-traced previews in apps that previously took hours to render even a single frame. And the RTX momentum continues - at Gamescom 2024, we're announcing 20 new RTX and DLSS integrations.

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."

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?

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.

2:21, a French development team is well versed in Unreal Engine 5-based games development—as of last year they were in the process of utilizing Epic's tech to remake Adeline Software's classic duo of Little Big Adventure (1994) and Little Big Adventure 2 (1997), as well as a now cancelled series reboot. Following on from recent-ish good news—regarding a new publication deal—CEO Ben Limare has announced that his team is moving away from UE5: "In June 2023, you experienced an initial prototype on Proxima Island, developed in a short time by a small team. Despite its imperfections, this prototype was a crucial springboard for engaging with you and understanding your expectations. This prototype was built using Unreal Engine 5, with an almost manual reconstruction of the island. Faced with the challenge of replicating this method for a larger world in a limited time, we opted for a complete overhaul of the game, based on new foundations."

Limare revealed to long-term fans that development of "Twinsen's Little Big Adventure" has already quietly transferred over to the Unity Engine—a strange choice given last year's fallout over "Runtime Fees." Unity Technologies is not winning any popularity contests in modern times—CEO John Riccitiello resigned last October, during payment plan upheavals. 2.21 developers did their very best to carry on with UE5, but legacy code demanded a pivot to a compatible foundation. Limare has roped in another Adeline Software veteran: "The answer lies in the work of Sébastien Viannay, a developer on the original games, as well as the mobile port. It was during the work on the latter that Seb developed a small tool to setup the pathfinding—that is, the ability to tap a point on the screen and have Twinsen follow that direction. This tool interprets the original game's data to reconstruct the level and identify obstacles."