EA’s big announcement today wasn’t The Sims 5 or Need for Speed
Yesterday evening, Electronic Arts teased “BIG NEWS” would be coming today. An exciting announcement that gamers would not want to miss. Naturally, this led fans to predict it would be some sort of game announcement — maybe The Sims 5, maybe Need for Speed, something.
What we got was something much, much different. And quite frankly, much more disappointing.
Today’s announcement was for a contest. A contest to meet your online BFF for the first time.
Do you have an online BFF you’d love to meet IRL? The friendships we create through gaming are unmatched. Electronic Arts wants to connect you with your online BFF in person for the first time.
The “Let There Be BFFs Contest” calls for you and your online BFF to submit a one to three minute video telling your BFF story. Two pairs of gaming BFFs will be selected for a chance to meet up in person on an all expenses-paid trip.
https://twitter.com/EA/status/1574794099407949827
Okay, so it’s not the worst contest, and honestly I like the sentiment behind it. Many friendships/relationships often start over gaming online.
The disappointment stems from our own anticipation. Maybe we should’ve tempered our expectations. After all, the signs were there. The teaser asked “Do you have an online BFF you would like to meet IRL?” But many of us thought this was a hint at some sort of multiplayer for The Sims.
It’s a cool contest, just not the announcement we wanted.
What we really wanted to hear was that The Sims 5 is in development. Then again, that announcement has been rumored for October during the Behind The Sims Summit on October 18.
And based on what we’ve heard about Need for Speed in recent weeks, perhaps we never should’ve expected any announcement. EA previously stated that a new NFS game is coming by the end of this year — between October and December — but we’ve yet to see anything official yet. Rumors are now swirling that it could be pushed back to 2023.
