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9 CommentsEA Sports Ignite trailer shown at Xbox One reveal 'pre-rendered using in-game assets'
By Michael McWhertor on May 21, 2013 05.21.13
The footage of EA Sports' Ignite engine shown at today's Xbox One reveal event was pre-rendered using assets from Electronic Arts' next-gen FIFA, Madden, NBA Live and UFC games, says Andrew Wilson, executive vice president of EA Sports. Asked whether snippets of real-time gameplay were featured in the teaser for FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14 and EA Sports UFC, Wilson said no and explained the reasoning behind its Xbox One showing. "It was all pre-rendered," Wilson told Polygon. "Listen, we're not hiding behind that fact. This was an event that we've been planning for a number of months on a new platform. And what we wanted to do was use real game assets, so they're all real game assets, straight out of our game teams, but we had to get it into a format that would be usable in...
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14 CommentsEA is developing Wii U games, has bigger plans for PS4 and Xbox One, CFO says
By Dave Tach on May 21, 2013 05.21.13
Electronic Arts is developing games for the Wii U, but not as many as the company is developing for Sony and Microsoft's consoles, EA's chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen said today during the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference. Jorgensen's statement seems to contradict a statement last week from EA spokesman Jeff Brown, who said last week that the company has "no games in development for the Wii U currently." When asked by a conference attendee which console manufacturer would lead the next generation, Jorgensen said that consumers, not publishers, would be the ones to decide. "You know, I think Nintendo's business was more [an] extension of their last console," Jorgensen said today. "We are building titles for the Nintendo console, but not...
Feature
35 CommentsXbox One: What we know
By Polygon Staff on May 21, 2013 05.21.13
Xbox One Hardware Xbox one Hardware As Microsoft Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Yusuf Mehdi revealed on stage, the Xbox One hardware is built around allowing players instant access to most of its features. So if you want to pause a game and check something online, or you want to receive Skype calls in the middle of playing a game, or you want to jump between live television and a game, you can do that without having to shut down one program and start something else. It's something old for those playing games on their phones and something new for those playing games on consoles, or those who like using voice commands to control all their entertainment options. Xbox One will also allow users to switch channels on their TV, call up a channel guide using Kinect voice...
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0 CommentsNext-gen EA Sports titles running on Ignite engine at Xbox One reveal
By Samit Sarkar on May 21, 2013 05.21.13
Electronic Arts showed off next-generation versions of its FIFA, UFC, Madden NFL and NBA Live franchises at Microsoft's reveal event for the Xbox One today, and said all next-gen EA Sports titles will run on the new Ignite engine. EA Sports president Andrew Wilson announced "a brand-new, broad strategic partnership between EA and Microsoft," and said that next-gen entries in all four franchises will be released within the next year. In addition, the Xbox One version of FIFA 14 will feature exclusive content for FIFA Ultimate Team. "Fueled by EA Sports Ignite, EA Sports games will be alive with players who think, move and behave like real athletes and dynamic living worlds, transforming the way people play and experience games on next-gen consoles," said EA in a press release today. E...
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4 CommentsMadden NFL 25 devs resurrect Owner Mode for Connected Franchise
By Samit Sarkar on May 20, 2013 05.20.13
The Connected Careers mode that debuted in Madden NFL 13 last year was a watershed moment for the Madden NFL series, representing one of the franchise's biggest leaps in a single year. But it also highlighted a couple of the game's greatest failings: a clunky interface and poor or nonexistent tutorials. Madden's developers at EA Tiburon are attempting to deliver one major addition to Connected Careers in Madden NFL 25 this year, and they're doing a lot of work on its existing pieces, but they knew they had to tackle those two issues first. "Due to the massive amount of stuff we had put in the game last year, we really didn't get a lot of time to sit down and add that extra level of polish that walks you through understanding why things are happening," said Josh Looman, lead designer on...
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16 CommentsFIFA 14 not coming to Wii U because of predecessor's disappointing 'commercial results'
By Dave Tach on May 17, 2013 05.17.13
FIFA 14, this year's installment of Electronic Arts' soccer franchise, will not be released for Wii U because sales of FIFA 13 were "disappointing," a representative from EA told Eurogamer. "Six months ago FIFA 13 was a launch title on Wii U," the representative said. "Although the game featured FIFA's award-winning HD gameplay and innovative new ways to play, the commercial results were disappointing. We have decided not to develop FIFA 14 on Wii U." EA published several games for Wii U after its launch last November, including FIFA 13 and Madden NFL 13. Earlier this month, EA confirmed that Madden NFL 25 would not launch on the system, but said that the company has "a strong partnership with Nintendo." The news follows in the wake of EA spokesperson Jeff Brown's recent statement...
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79 CommentsEA has 'no games in development for the Wii U,' spokesman says
By Dave Tach on May 16, 2013 05.16.13
Electronic Arts isn't currently developing any games for the Wii U, EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told Kotaku. EA published several games for Nintendo's console since its November 2012 launch, including FIFA 13, Madden NFL 13, Mass Effect 3: Special Edition and Need for Speed Most Wanted, but its studios have nothing in the pipeline right now. "We have no games in development for the Wii U currently," Brown said, but he didn't rule out future Wii U development, according to Kotaku. Earlier this month, EA announced that Madden NFL 25 would not make its way to the Wii U in 2013, while reiterating that the company has "a strong partnership with Nintendo." EA DICE's technical director Johan Andersson recently explained that the Frostbite engine, which powers games like those in the...
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30 CommentsAmazon-exclusive Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition includes free year of NFL Sunday Ticket
By Samit Sarkar on May 15, 2013 05.15.13
Electronic Arts bucked the naming trend of its Madden NFL series for 2013, calling this year's title Madden NFL 25 to mark the franchise's 25th anniversary, and the company is further celebrating the milestone with a special edition of the game that is exclusive to Amazon. The Madden NFL 25 Anniversary Edition, which will be available for $99.99 at Amazon on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, includes a copy of the game as well as exclusive content for Madden Ultimate Team, the series' popular digital trading card mode. Anniversary Edition buyers will receive 17 special Ultimate Team packs of cards, one for every week of the 2013 NFL season, with each pack containing two rare players, four silver players and four bronze players. But the real draw of the Anniversary Edition for football fans...
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12 CommentsMadden NFL 25 will not launch on the Wii U in 2013
By Jenna Pitcher on May 02, 2013 05.02.13
EA confirmed Madden NFL 25 won't see a release on the Nintendo Wii U, according to Nintendo World Report. "We will not be releasing a Wii U version of Madden NFL in 2013. However, we have a strong partnership with Nintendo and will continue to evaluate opportunities for delivering additional Madden NFL products for Nintendo fans in the future," EA Sports said in a statement provided to Nintendo World Report. Madden 13 saw a release on the Wii and Wii U in 2012. The Wii U version was missing the Infinity Engine, yet featured a variety of GamePad specific features such as using the touch screen to create custom hot routes and adjust defensive alignments. Madden NFL 25 is set to launch on Aug. 27 and is currently only announced for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. Polygon reached...
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5 CommentsMadden NFL 25's 64-player cover voting bracket pits past against present
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 11, 2013 03.11.13
Madden NFL 25's 64-player cover vote will let fans decide if an NFL legend or one of today's superstars will appear on the game's cover, and the campaign's first round is now open for voting on ESPN. Jerry Rice won out over Cris Carter in the play-in round's battle between Hall of Fame wideouts, so Rice will give the San Francisco 49ers a second spot in the old-school bracket alongside quarterback Joe Montana. Each of the two brackets features 32 NFL stars. While the seeding system means there will likely be some laughably lopsided votes — we're not even sure if longtime Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme would vote for himself over Montana — the brackets also have the potential for some neck-and-neck fights. Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis are two of the best halfbacks in NFL...
