It’s clear that Electronic Arts wants to bounce back with the next Battlefield game after the disastrous launch of Battlefield 2042. The studio’s CEO promises that the upcoming game will reinvent the series.
During EA’s recent earnings call for the first quarter of the 2024 financial year, CEO Andrew Wilson revealed plans for its upcoming games. Among the titles mentioned was EA’s flagship first-person shooter Battlefield. According to Wilson, the next game is going to be a “reimagination” of the series and will feature a “truly connected ecosystem.”
Our multiyear targeted investments toward our biggest opportunities include global titles like blockbuster storytelling from Dragon Age, incredible skateboarding gameplay and social connection from skate, and a revival of EA SPORTS College Football that celebrates the action, culture, and tradition of the sport like never before,” Wilson said. We’re also hard at work on a new experience from The Sims that will transform what players can do with creativity, a sprawling action-adventure Iron Man game, a reimagination of Battlefield as a truly connected ecosystem, and the expansion of the Apex Legends universe across platforms, geographies, and modalities of play.
Fans may not be too eager to hear the word “reimagination” used to describe Battlefield. EA admitted that Battlefield 2042 was ambitious and strayed a little too far from what made the series popular with gamers.
Many have hoped that Battlefield would return to its roots and this is evident with the Class System returning to 2042. DICE tried to implement a new specialist system that clearly didn’t sit well with fans. Hopefully, Wilson’s statement about reimagining the Battlefield series sees a return of the franchise to what fans love about the series.
EA has made several commitments to the Battlefield franchise in recent years. Wilson recently said that the series will return in an “entirely new way.”
The company appointed Vince Zampella to oversee the direction of the franchise. Zampella will be watching over three studios working on the franchise moving forward.
DICE will be continuing work on the multiplayer Battlefield games. The Marcus Lehto-led Ridgeline Games will be tasked with developing a new single-player campaign for the series with the support of DICE. Ripple Effect is reportedly working on a new Battlefield game.
Having three studios work on different parts of the Battlefield franchise may be what Wilson meant when he mentioned a “truly connected ecosystem.” It may be similar to how Activision has three development studios working on the Call of Duty series. Activision studios alternately release a new Call of Duty game, with the next one reportedly coming from Sledgehammer Games.
The Call of Duty model also has separate gameplay for multiplayer, single-player campaigns, and the stand-alone free-to-play battle royale mode Warzone. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard were all tied into Warzone as one cohesive ecosystem and has proven to be a successful formula.
EA has not yet revealed a timeline for the next Battlefield game.
