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Electronic Arts revealed its new EA Originals initiative at this year’s E3, which seeks to offer support to independent game developers for their various projects.

It is noteworthy that in last year’s E3 event, one of the main attractions at the EA press conference was Unravel, a game showcasing spectacular visuals by Coldwood Interactive, which was assisted by EA in bringing it to consoles.

After the E3 in 2015, Unravel got released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, showing that the partnership is able to follow through with the promise of getting the game out to the gaming community.

EA Originals is a follow-up on the partnership with Coldwood over Unravel, and it wants to support even more indie game developers. On the stage at E3, VP Patrick Söderlund, one of the EA Studios executives, talked about the three pillars that support the EA Originals initiative.

The first is the goal of bringing and unique gaming experiences to the masses while the second is offering small developers the necessary support to develop their projects, market and eventually publish them.

Furthermore, the third pillar is all about providing indie game developers with financial security by allowing them to keep all the profits generated by the game they created. Needless to say, this is an incredibly valuable thing for small studios that are just launching their brand in the industry.

Following Söderlund on the E3 stage was Klaus Lyngeled of Sweden-based Zoink! Games. His presentation revolved around Fe, the first game created and published under the EA Originals initiative.

Fe allows players to explore a dark forest while they control a small creature that looks like a fox. The game begins by showing the creature waking up alone in the forest, and it is up to the player to help it survive in the unknown universe.

The presentation of the Zoink! developer revealed that Fe shares a narrative about the relationship with nature. The players will encounter other creatures and animals, each with a unique song; learning the songs will enable the access to more parts of the world.

In advance of E3, Electronic Arts revealed the list of all the games that will become available in small events in Los Angeles and London dubbed as EA Play.
Image Source: Quarter Disorder

The sequel to the beloved 2008 Mirror’s Edge is going be released early 2016 – according to EA’s quarterly financial presentation.

It was announced by EA in 2013, but absolutely no info regarding a certain release date, game mechanics, or platforms has been announced – at this point, we only know that it will appear on consoles and on PC sometime between January the 1st and March the 31st next year.

What we do know is that Rhianna Pratchett won’t write for Mirror’s Edge reboot. It saddens and excites me at the same time. First off, because she won’t be on the new team that will tackle the sequel, and secondly because she may be continuing her father’s DiscWorld series – but I’m sceptical about the last one.

According to her Twitter account Rhianna’s script was chopped down at the last minute, and that’s why story-wise Mirror’s Edge doesn’t shine.

“I came in late to ME1, much of it was already designed, my script was hacked up, I wasn’t happy & said so (diplomatically.)” said Rhianna.

And it’s a shame that the producers didn’t let her do some magic – her most notable works include Heavenly Sword, and the latest Tomb Raider.

” Story didn’t seem well regarded well (by reviewers) either. Despite the nature of the project, DICE may blame me for that. Although I think we produced something cool, it was a difficult project for all and I no longer have any contacts there. Let’s face it ME1’s story didn’t review that great (for many reasons). So I consider myself a casualty of that development process.” said Pratchett.

Moving on, if you checked EA’s PDF, you’ll see that Mirror’s Edge isn’t the only video-game to be released next year. A new Need For Speed installment is due to be released sometimes in December of 2015, along with Star Wars Battlefront, that already has a release date planned for November the 17th.

Also a new Plants vs. Zombie game will mark consoles and PC sometimes between January and March of 2016.

Until then, I’ll let you drool over Mirror’s Edge 2014 E3 trailer.

Faith – I can’t wait to see you!

Image Source: 1, 2

Electronic Arts Wants to Support Indie Game Developers

Mirror’s Edge Sequel is Due to be Released Early 2016

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