EA has pulled back the curtain on the next mainline entry in its long-running Battlefield franchise, explaining a new development plan involving four different studios, as well as a new way for players to hop in early to provide feedback on what the teams are making.
On February 3, EA published a new video and website detailing the future of its FPS war-sim series.
The next game in the franchise is being developed by four development teams who are part of a new group known as “Battlefield Studios.” As stated on a web page announcing the group, which includes Battlefield creators Dice alongside Criterion, Ripple Effect and Motive, these studios are working together “to bring a bold and faithful new vision for the series to life.”
Early gameplay of this next Battlefield game seems to indicate that, as previously confirmed by EA, it will return the franchise to modern day combat, as seen in fan-favorite titles BF3 and BF4. The studios involved also explained that this new game will feature the familiar classes and vehicles, used in destructible maps—all hallmarks of the series. And this next Battlefield game, which remains unnamed and doesn’t have a release date, will include a single-player campaign, too.
The other big news announced today is Battlefield Labs. This program, which players can sign up for now, will let select users join in on early, pre-alpha gameplay tests.
While this might sound similar to a typical beta test—something EA has done before—the studios involved in this next Battlefield game indicated that Battlefield Labs is different. Players are going to be given more content than before, at an earlier state in development than usual, and will help provide feedback on what’s working and what’s not working.
Here’s how EA describes Labs in a FAQ found on the franchise’s website:
[BF Labs] space for play and exploration; an environment where we can test concepts and mechanics with our players before we release them publicly. Our community is at the heart of Battlefield; their feedback is crucial in helping us know what to prioritize, what to improve and what feels like an authentic Battlefield experience.
It will be interesting to see how BF Labs impacts the development of the game and also how much of the content from the tests leaks online for everyone to see.
EA is certainly investing a lot of money and resources into getting Battlefield back on track after 2042 and BFV weren’t huge hits with the community. The return to modern-day combat and classic class-based multiplayer sounds promising, and the idea of bringing in player feedback early could help steer the teams in the right direction. For now, we have to wait and see how it all shakes out.
EA has not revealed a release window or official name for the next game. BF Labs’ FAQ indicates the next game will only available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
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