There’s a glorious time of year, every June, when the collective gaming press descends upon Los Angeles. A time for discovery, where the latest and greatest in the world of gaming will be picked apart, from exciting announcements to amazing reveals… most of the time. Right, let’s get into it, shall we?

Anthem

The first new IP out of Bioware since 2009’s Dragon Age: Origins, and hinted about during EA’s 2014 press conference, Anthem is rumored to be Bioware’s answer to The Division and Destiny, both MMOFPS games. Known as “Project Dylan” during development, the brief teaser pitted what looked to be the last remnants of mankind against both flora and fauna, wielding suits of powered armor. We’ll know a bit more about Anthem sometime tomorrow, when a gameplay trailer is revealed.

A Way Out

From developer Hazelight, makers of the excellent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, comes a new, co-op only experience where players step into the role of one of two prisoners, as they mount a daring escape from a prison. With so few true co-op experiences in the current generation, a cooperative game in the style of “Prison Break” with an excellent story sounds like something that would be up anyone’s alley. A Way Out is slated to arrive in early 2018.

Star Wars: Battlefront II

No, not that one. The sequel to the 2015 reboot, developed by Criterion Games, the Burnout/Battlefield Hardline team; Motive, a new studio, and DICE, longtime makers of Battlefield. Drawing inspiration from the entire Star Wars canon and offering more content and progression than the previous outing, Battlefront II has also eschewed paid post-launch content, offering all maps, weapons, and more for free, much like Titanfall 2. The multiplayer beta will launch for all platforms later this year.

Need for Speed: Payback

Channeling its “Fast and the Furious” origins with a reveal and now the gameplay trailer, Need for Speed: Payback is the followup to Ghost Games’ 2015 reboot of the series. Featuring even more FMV and ludicrous plotlines, Payback has the player characters take on the nefarious “House” cartel, which specializes in car theft, outrunning police chases, and driving really, really fast. Everything a good racing game cartel should have. Need for Speed: Payback launches on November 10th, 2017.

Battlefield 1: In the Name of the Tsar

The second major expansion for Battlefield 1 marks a move to the Eastern Front of World War I, with the Russian Army making an appearance. With the official site detailing much of the information, here’s what we know now: Four new maps will come at the pack’s launch, with two more coming later; eleven new guns, including the legendary Mosin-Nagant M91; new vehicles, a new game mode and stationary weapon, and many more. In the Name of the Tsar is set to launch sometime in September.

FIFA 18 and NBA Live 18

The next two yearly installments of the storied sports franchises making their way onto PC promise greater fidelity, better motion capture, and player progression. Cristiano Ronaldo graces the cover of FIFA 18, as he mounts the summit of being debatably the best footballer of all time. Again returning to FIFA is the story mode, where you follow one Alex Hunter, as he progresses through the age levels and tiers of professional soccer. FIFA 18 launches on September 29th, 2017.

NBA Live 18 adds in a new mode call “The One,” where you chronicle your own journey through the street courts and the stadiums across America, as you attempt to make a name for yourself and your career. Similarly to FIFA 18, NBA Live 18 seems to be doubling down on chronicling the fictional journey of a player of your own creation.

Final Thoughts

And that about clears up the first press conference of the weekend, overall, no major surprises, aside from the excellent-looking A Way Out, also Battlefront II looks like a more polished version of Battlefront, and while Anthem looks neat at a first glance, it’ll be interesting to see just how well Bioware can salvage their tarnished brand. Stay tuned for information on the Microsoft and Bethesda press conferences, which happen today.