A countdown site has launched for Electronic Arts’ next Need for Speed title. Only “NFS” is visible, with the timer counting down to an August 14th reveal. Not much has been revealed beyond this, but it fits pretty well into EA CEO Andrew Wilson’s comment about an announcement made heading into Gamescom.

This leads us to believe that a trailer will be released day after tomorrow, with a full gameplay reveal at the show next week. Not much is known about the title, except for rumours pegging the name as Need for Speed: Heat. It will apparently have customization as a “pivotal” feature.

There will also be a focus on the “Street Racer vs. Cops” fantasy that defined games like Hot Pursuit. While the next Need for Speed is apparently out this Fall, it will be interesting to see how EA dates it, especially with so many other big releases. That’s not counting Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which releases on November 15th for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

EA confirmed back in February of this year that a new Need for Speed title would be out by Fall 2019, but word on the racing sequel has been scarce since then, with EA deciding not to make an announcement at E3 this year. However, we now have a more concrete window for when we can expect the game to be officially unveiled.

Speaking during the company’s recent quarterly financial call, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed that they would be lifting the lid on Need for Speed 2019 in the next few weeks- more specifically, he said that an announcement would be made “heading into Gamescom.”

There’s not much that we know about Need for Speed 2019 so far. EA has claimed that the racer will be “revitalizing the street racer vs. cops fantasy at the core of the franchise”, while the publisher has promised that extensive vehicle customization will also be at the core of the game. More recently, a retailer listing may have potentially leaked that the game will be called Need for Speed Heat.

Gamescom is scheduled to be held in Cologne, Germany from August 20th to August 24th, so we’ll have more concrete information not long for now. Stay tuned for all the updates.

The Elder Scrolls 6

Bethesda has stated not once but twice that The Elder Scrolls 6 will not be at E3 2019. It was announced early to keep everyone in check, it’s probably out next generation, yada yada. And really, why would we start doubting the word of Todd now? Then again, Bethesda only recently arrived at an agreement concerning the Redfall trademark, which may or may not be the name of the next Elder Scrolls. So maybe we’ll see another teaser confirming the name.

Before Electronic Arts started hyping up its next EA Play event, taking place on June 8th to 9th before E3 2019 properly kicks off, it confirmed a few new sequels for release this year. We’re talking about new titles in franchises like Need for Speed and Plants vs. Zombies. Apparently, both titles will be out in Fall 2019.

That would mean reveals at EA Play, right? Not exactly. In a recent post, EA DICE global community lead Ben Walke revealed that the next Need for Speed will not in fact be showcased at EA Play. That doesn’t mean that it won’t release this year, or no new details will be provided down the line.

“Are you going to hear more about the next NFS title?” wrote Walke. “Yes. Is it being released this year? Yes. Will we be doing anything in June? No. It’s as simple as that, but we wanted to give you a heads up before you started asking ‘where are you?’ Our goal is to deliver a truly memorable high-speed entry into the 25 years of NFS, rather than a series of promotional events. The game matters most – a sentiment we bet you share with us.”

He did provide some update, revealing, “We’re building an amazing game that we can’t wait to show off, and the next time we talk, we’ll be packing our bags and heading south for the full unveiling. We’ll see you then.” Could “heading south” be a reference to Gamescom, which takes place in Cologne, Germany? It could be, especially since DICE’s head office is in Sweden (which is located north of Germany).

Regardless, don’t expect any new information on Need for Speed at EA Play. You can expect the first gameplay reveal of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order though, which is out in November for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

You could be forgiven for not knowing that a new Need for Speed is coming this year. Electronic Arts confirmed the same earlier, and revealed in its Q4 and full FY2019 financial report that it expects the game to sell four million units. But what will the game be about?

According to CEO Andrew Wilson, it will be “revitalizing the street racer vs. cops fantasy at the core of the franchise.” This seems to indicate that instead of the street racing of Need for Speed (2016) or the “heists” of Need for Speed Payback, this title could be going for more of an old-school Hot Pursuit vibe. It may even be similar to Need for Speed Rivals, and honestly, that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

There’s not much information besides that. We don’t know if Ghost Games is returning for development, though it seems likely, given it has worked on the last few titles. Need for Speed 2019 is currently scheduled to release in Fall 2019, along with the next Plants vs. Zombies. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.

Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player title set after the fallout of Order 66, will be out in November. EA has some fairly big ambitions for the title, especially considering it’s the flagship Star Wars title for this year. In its conference call following the Q4 and FY2019 results (as noted by Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad), EA said it forecasts six to eight million units shipped in fiscal year 2020.

That’s by March 31st, 2020, and probably isn’t too crazy, since the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker should feed into the hype. Interestingly, EA also shared forecasts for the next Need for Speed and Plants vs. Zombies games. The former will ship “approximately” four million units, as per the publisher, while the latter will hit “low single digit million units.”

Neither title has been outright announced formally, but they’re slated to release in Fall 2019. Perhaps we’ll hear more at EA Play 2019. EA also expects Apex Legends, its free to play battle royale title (which is also slated for mobiles and China), to hit $300 to $400 million in this fiscal year.

$EA Conference Call:

– Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is forecasted to ship 6-8m units in FY20
– Approx 4m units for Need for Speed
– Plants vs Zombies is expected to reach low single digit million units.
– Apex Legends expected to book $300m-$400m in FY20.

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 7, 2019