Or everything that didn’t happen: which was a lot
Thank God we don’t have a billion proper live conferences at E3 this year with both Sony and EA pulling out. I mean sure, it’s nice to laugh at blunders every now and then and really low energy stage hosts that look like they want to be anywhere else, but it gets really, really grating to see the same easily avoidable sad story beats over and over.
EA Play was not full of those blunders. But when the main event for the outdoor-oriented (and humid) stream is a very okay look at Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, coupled with no new surprises or exciting reveals, you know low key is the perfect way to describe it. Outside of Star Wars, Respawn promised a bigger and better season two for Apex Legends (which arrives in early July), Battfield V is getting a bunch of new maps later this year for free (plus we had our first look at the Pacific front by way of concept art), and we got some updates from the FIFA and Madden teams.
And then there’s The Sims. The Sims 4 launched back in 2014 but you really wouldn’t know it, would you? There’s still DLC and expansions coming at a rapid pace, with roughly four to eight content drops a year. 2019 is slowing down a bit with just two updates (Lunar New Year in February and Freelancer careers in April), but more is on the way with the Island Living pack soon and the Realm of Magic later this fall. It was the bright wholesome spot in a sea of “alright.”
So that’s EA Play! Welcome to E3 2019. The bar is now set at “existing.”
