Electronic Arts has dropped the first details about the next installment in the Battlefield series, including hints about the setting and the combat. The biggest concrete detail revealed is that the series is ditching the historical or futuristic settings in favor of the modern day — though the “where” is not as clear as the “when.” According to a story from IGN, the company endeavors to bring the series back to its roots, or at least closer to Battlefields 3 and 4.
Respawn CEO Vince Zampella, also the group GM for EA Studios, told IGN in an interview that those two particular Battlefields were a major source of inspiration for the upcoming title. “I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it’s that Battlefield 3 … Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern. And I think we have to get back to the core of what Battlefield is and do that amazingly well, and then we’ll see where it goes from there. But I think for me, it’s that peak of Battlefield-ness is in that Battlefield 3 and 4 days. So I think it’s nostalgic for players, for me, for the teams even.”
The article includes a piece of new concept art for the title, which appears to depict a battle happening over a European city. There are no recognizable landmarks, but there does appear to be an erupting volcano on the other side of town.
The changes coming to Battlefield
Zampella noted that there were several features the development team — which consists of studios within DICE, Motive, Ripple Effect and Criterion — is changing from recent Battlefield releases. For example, maps are going back down to 64 players, as opposed to the 128 count in Battlefield 2042. Zampella notes that he’d rather have “nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces” and added that the team’s design decisions are based around fun and playability.
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The new Battlefield will also have classes, rather than specialists. Zampella applauded previous developers for experimenting with the franchise’s formula, but added, “Not everybody liked it, but you got to try things. It didn’t work. It didn’t fit … . We want [the next Battlefield to be good out of the gate.]” He also said the team plans to launch a community program next year to “get the community back on our side, get that trust back.”
Those involved with the Battlefield franchise have hinted before that EA is not just developing a single game in the franchise. Battlefield general manager Byron Beede said earlier this year, when welcoming the developers at Motive to the team, that they would be joining in “building a Battlefield universe across connected multiplayer experiences and single player.”
Electronic Arts has been no stranger to the workplace struggles of 2024 — the studio laid off 670 people in February. It also canceled an untitled Star Wars FPS then in development as part of a move away from licensed IP to its own in-house franchises, such as Battlefield. At almost the same time, Battlefield director Marcus Lehto left the company. EA shuttered his Ridgeline studio and folded its retained talent into Ripple Effect.