By Derrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Electronic Arts is leaning heavily on The Force.
The video game publisher teased three forthcoming games set in the "Star Wars" universe Sunday at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The games include a new edition of "Star Wars Battlefront" inspired by the recent films from DICE and Motive Studios, an action-adventure game with an original story from Visceral Games and a third-person action game from Respawn Entertainment.
"They're channeling their talent and passion to bring you all-new experiences that will span many corners of the 'Star Wars' universe," said Jade Raymond, general manager at Motive Studios, of the developers working on all the "Star Wars" games.
EA stopped short of revealing more information or the new games' titles, but a promotional video showed Respawn developers working with motion-capture actors who were dueling with lightsabers. The video also featured imagery of a game developer using a PlayStation VR to pilot a virtual version of an X-Wing vessel.
"Star Wars Battlefront," last year's multiplayer shooter set during the original film trilogy, was the first title in Electronic Arts' 10-year deal with Disney and Lucasfilm to produce new "Star Wars" games.
Other games EA hyped during its one-hour E3 news conference included the grappling-hook enhanced "Titanfall 2," the World War I-set shooter "Battlefield 1," the story-focused soccer simulator "FIFA 17" and the space-exploring saga "Mass Effect: Andromeda," which is set in an all-new realm.
"This is a galaxy where you are the alien," said Aaryn Flynn, general manager at "Mass Effect" developer BioWare.
The annual gathering of the game industry kicked off Sunday with EA's news conference and continues through Thursday.
EA abandoned its long-standing booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year for a rowdy event open to the public at the LA Live entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles.
California governor signs law to protect children from social media addiction
California will make it illegal for social media platforms to knowingly provide addictive feeds to children without parental consent beginning in 2027 under a new law Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Friday.
California follows New York state, which passed a law earlier this year allowing parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm. Utah has passed laws in recent years aimed at limiting children's access to social media, but they have faced challenges in court.
The California law will take effect in a state home to some of the largest technology companies in the world. Similar proposals have failed to pass in recent years, but Newsom signed a first-in-the-nation law in 2022 barring online platforms from using users' personal information in ways that could harm children. It is part of a growing push in states across the country to try to address the impacts of social media on the well-being of children.
"Every parent knows the harm social media addiction can inflict on their children — isolation from human contact, stress and anxiety, and endless hours wasted late into the night," Newsom said in a statement. "With this bill, California is helping protect children and teenagers from purposely designed features that feed these destructive habits."
The law bans platforms from sending notifications without permission from parents to minors between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m., and between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays from September through May, when children are typically in school. The legislation also makes platforms set children's accounts to private by default.
Opponents of the legislation say it could inadvertently prevent adults from accessing content if they cannot verify their... Read More