EA Play's pre-E3 presentation on Battlefield 5 focused heavily on a series of new maps coming soon to the multiplayer game. We also learned that max rank is increasing dramatically, from 50 to 500, along with confirmation that private games are on the way. And alongside the recent Origin Access release, Battlefield V is out now on EA Access on Xbox One. When the service launches on PS4 in July, the game will be available in the Vault on that console as well.The first map shown is called Marita, based on the village where the Battle of Greece began. It features a sloping mountain ridge and tight streets, with lots of hills and multi-story buildings for verticality. Allies are in control of the town, while the Axis tries to break their stronghold. It launches in July.The second new map shown, Al Sundan, is the next one to arrive: It launches on June 27. It takes place in an African desert and is a large, wide map leaving plenty of room for air battles, and the Axis has established an air base. When you play in Conquest Mode it will have six flags, and campaign players will recognize the map from the mission Under No Flag. It's coming as part of Tides of War Chapter 4, which will also see two new close-quarters maps added.Finally, the third map is Operation Underground, an underground battlefield similar to Metro from previous Battlefield games but entirely reimagined. That one is coming in October, between Chapters 4 and 5.Beyond this, EA also further confirmed that Battlefield V is adding the Pacific Theater. This will include the Iwo Jima map and M1 Garand weapon, among other things still to be confirmed. Info from Gamespot.com

Following the highly anticipated gameplay reveal of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Respawn announced what players can expect to see in the second season of Apex Legends. Season 2 of the free-to-play battle royale game is called Battle Charge, and it introduces a lot of new content, including a new weapon, Legend, and Battle Pass. This time around, Respawn has listened to fan feedback and made this second Battle Pass more like the ones seen in Fortnite.During the Apex Legends panel, executive producer Drew McCoy revealed that the Season 2 Battle Pass will be challenge-based. Season 1's Battle Pass was notably XP-based, which many players felt resulted in a slow grind. This time, however, there will be daily and weekly challenges for players to complete, and they'll stack, so you'll be able to clear them throughout the season. As a result, McCoy says players will be able to level their Battle Pass up much faster than in Season 1.That isn't the only change being made to the Battle Pass for Season 2. This time around, Respawn has removed all of the badges and stat trackers that were "taking up space" in the Battle Pass and replaced them with three "entirely new content types." Respawn says there will also be "a lot more" skins in the Battle Pass, and players will be able to earn enough crafting metals to craft a Legendary weapon of their choosing by the time they reach level 100.Season 2 of Apex Legends kicks off on July 2. As previously mentioned, the new season will also introduce another playable Legend, Wattson--a scientific genius and electrical engineer who can place fences down in the field. Respawn says a ranked mode is also coming to the game next season, as well as four new Legendary skins.Info from Gamespot.com

During its EA Play event (which precedes E3 2019), Respawn teased that Apex Legends' most notorious (and possibly worse) weapon will see some improvements. We are referencing, of course, the Mozambique shotgun, a weapon that has been the subject of more jokes and memes than any other weapon in the free-to-play battle royale game.The Mozambique is widely regarded as a bad--even useless--weapon in Apex Legends, especially as far as shotguns go. The team didn't detail what kinds of improvements it might be seeing, but we can expect to find out when Season 2 launches on July 2. The Mozambique buff was teased alongside two new hop-ups, which can be attached to weapons to give them specific improvements or features; it's not clear if the Mozambique improvements would be through a hop-up or other means.Respawn has made it clear previously that it knows the Mozambique is a weak weapon, but it's indicated it wants to have a wide range between the best and worst guns. Presumably, it will still remain one of the weaker weapons in Apex players' arsenal, but it could become less of a joke.The Apex Legends segment during EA Play also gave more details on Season 2's Battle Pass and revealed the tenth legend, Wattson. A new gun was also revealed, and it's a Titanfall 2 classic: the L-Star. That appears to be the antithesis of the Mozambique, as you won't just find it in the world; it's so powerful that you won't be able to scavenge for additional ammo, either.Info from Gamespot.com

During EA Play--publisher Electronic Arts' annual pre-E3 conference--EA announced a lot of new details for its most anticipated titles and upcoming game updates, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Apex Legends: Season 2. Along with some more concrete details like the new character Wattson, new gun, and changes to battle pass progression, developer Respawn had an exciting but vague tease for what could be a Fortnite-like map-changing event.At the very end of the trailer for Apex Legends: Season 2, there's a brief shot of what could be a dragon or dinosaur or some other form of Godzilla-like kaiju creature. It's big, it's lizard-like, and it's coming to Apex Legends. Respawn isn't ready to reveal what it is or when we can expect to see it, but it's apparently coming as part of Season 2 in July. It also suggested we might learn more about what this is all about over the next month.In terms of the more concrete additions we learned about, first up is the L-Star, another of Titanfall 2's most powerful weapons. Dropping into Apex Legends in Season 2, the L-Star is a powerful LMG that decimates enemies and easily demolishes doors. The gun is so powerful, it's exclusively only found in drops pods. You also can't find additional ammunition for it; whatever it has when you pick it up is all you'll get.Season 2 also sees another playable Legend join the battle royale game. Wattson is a young woman who helped create the battle royale arena seen in the game. She steps into the ring with several electrical-based weapons, utilizing her own tech to electrocute enemies, bombard them with missiles and grenades, and plug chokepoints.Respawn also teased a buff for Apex's worst gun, the Mozambique. It didn't share any specifics, but you can expect it to be slightly less worthless following a future update. Likewise, Respawn has heard the feedback about Season 1's battle pass and will be going with challenge-based progression that sounds more like what's in Fortnite.Apex Legends is available for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.Info from Gamespot.com

During the EA Play conference around E3 2019, developer DICE outlined new content for its large-scale FPS Battlefield 5. One of the biggest additions is the inclusion of the Pacific theater of World War II in the single-player campaign Tides Of War and in the multiplayer modes. This will be a free update (like all Battlefield 5 content updates) that adds pacific theater missions and maps as Chapter 5 this fall.DICE outlined that it has three maps planned to incorporate the Pacific theater, one of which will be Iwo Jima. There are also some new elements coming to the game, as DICE said it's trying to capture the invasion experience and incorporate amphibious warfare with additional vehicles as US and Japanese forces hop from island to island. A classic weapon is also coming to Battlefield 5: the M1 Garand.DICE and EA outlined a content plan for Battlefield 5 leading up to the launch of the game back in November 2018; this included new missions, maps, and modes, like the battle royale mode Firestorm. Support for the game is continuing with three new multiplayer maps: Al-Sahdan in June, Marita in July, and Operation Underground in October. Chapter 5 content is likely to hit in November as it's designated to roll out this fall.Info from Gamespot.com

EA surprised Anthem fans by not giving the game an official spot on its EA Play presentation, but it did squeeze some time for the game between its FIFA and Madden NFL spots. Lead producer Ben Irving appeared for a short interview at the E3 event to discuss the game, though this was less about showcasing upcoming content and more about recognizing the game's weak spots while committing to continuing to work on it.Irving said that right now the team is working with influencers and getting feedback from players about recent events and the Cataclysm limited-time event, which is now in testing on PC. The idea right now is to gather impressions from the test server and use that to shape content going forward.“Anthem does have a future. A very bright future, we hope," Irving said. "We've learned a lot these last few months, we really want to make the game better, we believe Anthem can be a really amazing game. We know we have some work to do, we just want to work with the community and build it together and make it the game that everyone wants it to be."For more out of E3 2019, check out our full schedule of press conferences.E3 2019 Press Conference ScheduleThursday, June 6, 9 AM PT -- Google Stadia ConnectSaturday, June 8, 9:15 AM PT -- EA PlaySaturday, June 8, 11 AM PT -- Nintendo Invitational TournamentsSunday, June 9, 1 PM PT -- Microsoft Xbox Press ConferenceSunday, June 9, 5:30 PM PT -- Bethesda Press ConferenceSunday, June 9, 7 PM PT -- Devolver Press ConferenceMonday, June 10, 10 AM PT -- PC Gaming ShowMonday, June 10, 12 PM PT -- Limited Run Games Press ConferenceMonday, June 10, 1 PM PT -- Ubisoft Press ConferenceMonday, June 10, 4:30 PM PT -- Kinda Funny ShowcaseMonday, June 10, 6 PM PT -- Square Enix Press ConferenceTuesday, June 11, 9 AM PT -- Nintendo Direct ShowcaseInfo from Gamespot.com

New features coming to the Madden NFL franchise were shown off during the EA Play conference for E3 2019. With Madden NFL 20, you'll have a new career campaign called that takes over for Longshot mode. Additionally, there will be some tweaks to gameplay that will make superstar players standout even more, and some new challenge scenarios to unlock new stuff and improve stats. EA is also expanding the accessibility options to make the game playable by a wider group of people.The brand new career campaign is called Face of the Franchise. You'll create a college player who begins as a star quarterback for the Texas Longhorns and compete in the college football playoffs--this will lead to an NFL Draft sequence. There's also the Scenario Engine where you can participate in different challenges, and compete in the Pro Bowl as well.Along with Ultimate Missions, you'll take part in dynamic challenges and quests to unlock stuff and improve player stats. Additionally, Madden 20 will feature evolving playbooks that updates as teams incorporate new plays in real life. RPOs, or run-pass option plays, are coming to the game as well.Arguably, the biggest change is in the Superstar X-Factor feature. This acts as a special hero-like perk for star players. For example, running back Alvin Kamara has "Satellite" which makes him even more effective as a receiver out of the backfield with improved run-after-catch ability. JuJu Smith Schuster has the "Double Me" X-Factor which demands additional attention from the defense.These are always on/available--designed to extend specific specialties of big-name players. Cover star Pat Mahomes has "Bazooka," which is exclusive to him.Madden NFL 20 will have a closed beta taking place June 14-16.Separately from all this, EA detailed new accessibility options that will be available in Madden 20. Many of the features from previous years carry over here, but among the new ones are new text-to-speech and speech-to-text options. EA has greatly expanded things like how menu narration works for something like the depth chart to make it more usable.Info from Gamespot.com

Electronic Arts wrapped up its EA Play presentation at E3 2019 with a showcase of what's next for The Sims 4. The stream announced a new expansion, Island Living, that releases this summer, as well as a handful of new cosmetic and other packs coming throughout the summer and into the fall. You can see a trailer for the expansion above or watch the entire Sims 4 portion of the presentation below.The big announcement was Island Living, which launches on June 21 to PC and then to PS4 and Xbox One on July 16. The expansion focuses on the island of Sulani, where you can relax on the beach, help clean up the ocean, play with dolphins, become a lifeguard, build sandcastles, and even build their own mer-person to swim around the island.The presentation also announced a partnership with the It Gets Better Project to release a series of LGBTQ+ themed cosmetics and in-game items. The items range from It Gets Better and Pride clothing to a gender-neutral bathroom door. The items will roll out in The Sims 4 on PC, as well as FreePlay and Mobile first on June 18, and then expand to consoles in July.Also new is the Moschino Stuff Pack, which will include items from the real-life capsule collection, as well as the ability to get a job as a fashion photographer. Finally, a Sims 4 Realm of Magic pack is coming later this year, with more details to come on that in the future."With Island Living, the development team wanted to give players the chance to escape with their Sims to a peaceful, unique paradise and truly connect with nature,” said senior producer Mike Duke, in an announcement. "This expansion will enable fans and their Sims to find their bliss, whether it is relaxing under a palm tree on the beach, befriending a mermaid along the coral reefs, or protecting the Sulani environment and ensuring that the island becomes more beautiful than ever."For more out of EA Play and E3 2019, check out all of our coverage including the full schedule of press conferences.Info from Gamespot.com

While they were not featured in E3 2019's EA Play livestream, three new indie games were announced during the studio event just after the stream. In a press release, EA announced partnerships with three indie studios to create several new games: Zoink Games (Fe and Flipping Death), Glowmade, and Hazelight Studios (A Way Out). The games that each are working on will be EA Originals."We continue to connect innovative and creatively distinct new games from the best and boldest independent game makers to a global audience of players." EA executive vice president of strategic growth Matt Bilbey said in the press release. "We want to offer our players the broadest, highest quality content possible, with the best access possible."Zoink Games is creating Lost in Random, a game that mixes together both action and strategy within a dark fantasy world. Glowmade is developing a co-op RPG called RustHeart, which sees a young hero and their robot sidekick explore an alien multiverse. Hazelight Studios' game remains unannounced, but EA's press release describes the title as "a fresh take on the challenges of working together."This year, EA Play focused on the publisher's larger, more mainstream titles. The livestream began with a gameplay reveal of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which saw Cal Kestis cut through Storm and Purge Troopers with his lightsaber in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice-looking, tactical combat and also pull off supernatural feats with his array of Force powers. We were also treated to a familiar face and provided additional hints that Fallen Order takes place a few years before Rogue One.The rest of EA Play showcased what to expect in Season 2 of Apex Legends (including start date, a new Legend named Wattson, a Titanfall 2 fan-favorite LMG, and a dragon), revealed where BioWare stands on Anthem, announced changes coming to the new FIFA and Madden games, and highlighted a bunch of new content for The Sims 4.Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo closed out its pre-E3 Splatoon 2 World Championship with a big announcement: the theme of the game's final Splatfest. Ahead of Nintendo's E3 Direct on Tuesday, Splatoon 2 producer Hisashi Nogami took the stage and announced the Final Fest, which will take place over a 72-hour period from July 18-21. Fittingly for the final Splatfest, the competition will carry an apocalyptic theme: chaos vs. order.Just as in previous Splatfests, a new Shifty Station will be featured during the Final Fest. Not only that, but all 23 Shifty Station stages from previous Splatfests will return for the event as well. The previous Shifty Stations will rotate out for the first 48 hours of the Final Fest, while the new design will be featured for the final 24 hours.Nintendo also announced four new pieces of headgear to coincide with the Final Fest. The gear will be distributed through the Squid Research Lab channel from the Switch News app closer toward the event. You can take a look at it below.That wasn't the only Splatoon 2 announcement. Nogami also revealed that the game's 5.0 update will arrive in late July, following the Final Fest. The update will add a "Turf War (Splatfest)" option to private battles, which will allow players to play on any of the 24 Shifty Station maps. The Splatfest option will also transform the other stages into their nighttime versions, just as they appeared during actual Splatfests.Nintendo has more announcements in store on June 11, which it airs its E3 Direct presentation. That will focus on Switch games coming in 2019, including Luigi's Mansion 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. You can find out when and how to watch Nintendo's E3 Direct here.Info from Gamespot.com

June is Pride Month, and there are many LGBTQ+ celebrations that take place around the world. During the EA Play event ahead of E3 2019, the company announced that The Sims 4 will be getting a suite of new pride-themed items to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. The new items come as a partnership with the It Gets Better project, a nonprofit that works on uplifting LGBTQ+ people; additions include clothing as well as a gender-neutral bathroom door, which is currently unavailable in the game.PC players will get access to the new pride items beginning June 18th, while console players will get them in July. The content is also coming to The Sims Freeplay and The Sims Mobile in June. The announcement did not specify, however, whether the items will be available for purchase or if they're simply free additions.The Sims series has a long history of being inclusive of different sexualities and identities. Beginning in the original game, Sims could form romantic relationships with anyone regardless of gender or their dating history. In The Sims 4, there are now options for transgender Sims, and while binary, they are much more than most character creators currently offer. The upcoming gender-neutral bathroom door seems like a step in a more nonbinary-inclusive direction for the game.In other Sims news, The Sims 4's seventh expansion, Island Living, was announced. The expansion adds a new world called Sulani, which is largely based in Polynesian culture, and includes new features like mermaids. Island Living launches on PC on June 21 and then on consoles on July 16. Info from Gamespot.com

Nintendo has been fairly tight-lipped about what it plans to showcase during its E3 2019 Direct presentation next week, but now we know at least one announcement we can expect from the broadcast. Following the finals of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship, Nintendo confirmed it will reveal the game's next DLC character during its E3 Direct on Tuesday, June 11.In a video message, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai congratulated the winning team and provided an update on the game's DLC. "As for me, I'll be continuing my work on the next DLC fighter, and more information regarding that will be shared in the Nintendo Direct for E3 2019, so I hope you're looking forward to it," Sakurai said.Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser also teased that fans wouldn't want to miss Tuesday's Direct. "I think many of you are gonna want to tune in next week to see what, or who, [Sakurai] may be talking about," he said. Bowser also announced a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Online Open tournament, which will kick off this month. The four winners of that will compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at the Evo 2019 championships this August.Nintendo has already released two DLC characters for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Piranha Plant, who was offered for free to early adopters, arrived in February, while Persona 5's Joker launched in April. There are still four DLC characters coming to the game, although Nintendo hasn't revealed their identities yet. Joker and the remaining four fighters are included in the $25 Fighters Pass.Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation airs at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM BST on June 11. In addition to revealing the next Smash DLC fighter, we know the broadcast will focus on Switch games coming in 2019, including Luigi's Mansion 3, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. You can find out when and how to watch Nintendo's E3 Direct here.That wasn't the only announcement to come out of Nintendo's pre-E3 tournaments. Following the Splatoon 2 World Championship, Nintendo announced the date and theme of the game's final Splatfest event, which will take place from July 18-21. Following the Splatfest, Nintendo will release the game's 5.0 update. You can find more news and announcements from E3 on GameSpot's E3 2019 hub.Info from Gamespot.com

Microsoft is no stranger to dropping a cheeky message or hint at a big console announcement, and it seems like there's another one for E3 2019. Ahead of an impending reveal, Microsoft appears to be teasing the reveal of a next-gen Xbox.Within its daily countdown videos for the Xbox 2019 press conference are RGB color codes for the specific color scarlet--and if you're not aware, rumors point to the codename "Scarlet(t)" for one of the next-gen Xbox consoles. There are rumors of other Xbox consoles under the codenames "Anaconda" and "Lockhart" as well.In the "3 Days To E3" video, the background had the text "R 255," and the next day had "G 36," and today showed "B 0"--this turns out to be 255, 36, 0. You can see screen caps of this in the tweet below.Im on to you Phil. pic.twitter.com/6MbWAftIDM— C.B.K (@Cr8Beyond) June 8, 2019In the past, there were hidden messages in pre-E3 videos that teased Project Scorpio, which turned out to be the Xbox One X. And in the lead up to Microsoft's press conference this year, we expected news of new console hardware at the show given that head of Xbox Phil Spencer made mention of it last year.If Microsoft is indeed announcing a next-gen Xbox at E3, it will be doing so during its press conference on Sunday, June 9. It begins at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET / 9 PM BST (6 AM AET on June 10). You can watch the event live here on GameSpot or follow our Xbox liveblog.For all things E3 2019, check out all our coverage of the latest announcements and news; catch up on all the Xbox One games we'll see at the show, the details on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplay, and everything that happened at EA Play.Info from Gamespot.com

Just before football season kicks off, you can count on a new Madden game to roll through. This year, we're getting Madden NFL 20 along with a number of new features and gameplay tweaks, and you can get your hands on the game a bit early through its upcoming closed beta test. It'll run from June 14 12 PM ET to June 16 at midnight ET, which covers the weekend after E3 2019, but only for a select few folks.EA has outlined how to get into the closed beta. Those who attend EA Play have a chance to get a beta code at the Madden booth on-site. Between June 10 and June 14, EA will give out codes via stream/social media and you'll have to follow the official Madden Twitch or Twitter account (@EAMaddenNFL). Developers will also participate in giving codes away via MUTHEAD (Madden Ultimate Team) and Reddit. EA says to check your email associated with your EA account for additional chances to get beta codes, especially those who competed in the Madden Championship Series.The closed beta is for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users, and codes are redeemable through each platforms normal process. The closed beta will not include the new Face of the Franchise or MUT modes, but will let you play normal games as either the Chiefs, Rams, Patriots, or Saints.Be sure to check out all the other news and announcements that came out of EA Play for E3 2019, including an extended look at Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order gameplay and the new character coming to Apex Legends named Wattson.Info from Gamespot.com

Jason Reitman, the son of Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, spoke at Ghostbusters Fan Fest on Saturday about his upcoming 2020 sequel, which follows the world his father helped create in 1984. The first teaser for the movie was revealed back in January, but it will still be a little while before filming begins.Speaking to a crowd at the director panel at the convention, Jason Reitman explained that the 2020 Ghostbuters sequel will start shooting in five weeks, as long as everything goes to plan. Originally, the story for the movie revolved around a 12-year-old girl with a proton pack. But since then, the idea has grown and revolves around a family. How does this family fit into the world? "You don't know their connection, and they don't know their connection either," Reitman explained. There have been reports the movie is casting four teens to lead the film: two boys, two girls.He said he's excited about the possibility of making all kinds of Ghostbusters movies. And while the stars of the original film--Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Bill Murray--have all read the script, he would not confirm if they are in fact coming back. The other star of the movie, Harold Ramis, passed away in 2014.However, during an interview with Parade Magazine, Weaver herself confirmed she will be in the movie, along with Murray and Aykroyd. "It's going to be crazy working with the guys again," she exclaimed. Sony has yet to comment on the remarks.Next year's movie will not be connected to the 2016 reboot, which angered one of the stars, but aside from Reitman being the son of the original director, he's a fan of the movie. "I love everything about it. The iconography. The music. The tone," Reitman told Entertainment Weekly. "I remember being on set and seeing them try out the card catalog gag for the first time when the library ghost makes them come flying out. I remember the day they killed Stay Puft and I brought home a hardened piece of foam that just sat on a shelf for years. I was scared there was a terror dog underneath my bed before people knew what a terror dog was."The third movie in the original Ghostbusters universe hits theaters on July 10, 2020.Info from Gamespot.com