EA CEO Teases Next Battlefield Game as ‘Another Tremendous Live Service’

The CEO of Battlefield developer Electronic Arts confirmed the next entry into the franchise will be a live-service title. The Battlefield franchise remains one of the longest-running first-person shooter series and an iconic IP in the video game industry, cultivating a global hardcore fan base with roots tracing as far back as 2002. Now, EA is working on the next mainline entry in the franchise in the hopes of releasing another successful live-service title.

Longtime veterans of the Battlefield franchise will likely know that the series is going through a rough patch after the disappointing sales of Battlefield 2042. Despite the commercial and critical failure of its latest entry, previous reports indicated that EA was resolved to stand by the Battlefield series and is reportedly sparing no expense in developing the upcoming entry. The developer has remained tight-lipped regarding what players can expect from the franchise’s next chapter. However, previous Battlefield leaks indicated a 2025 release date and a return to its iconic 64-player matches and destructible terrain.

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CEO Andrew Wilson also commented on the ongoing development for the Battlefield franchise during the company’s latest quarterly earnings call. According to a transcript from The Motley Fool, the EA executive claimed the next Battlefield will be built on a live-service model. This is on top of boasting the largest development team in the franchise’s history, with studios DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect, and Motive all brought in to oversee the project.

Battlefield Sticks to Controversial Live-Service Model

While he did not specifically describe how the next Battlefield could implement a live-service model, Wilson also notably mentioned the EA Sports FC franchise and how it played a central role in the company’s strategy when it came to monetization and player engagement. The executive believed the blueprint provided by the football video game series granted its other titles a unique identity in comparison to other live-service games, with Wilson additionally claiming it opened a path to growth in the modern video game industry.

Though Wilson remains optimistic about the future of Battlefield, fans of the franchise have largely taken the live-service model confirmation with a grain of salt. Some players also specifically called back to Battlefield 2042, with commenters blaming the game’s failure on the focus on its controversial live-service model and lack of content in comparison to the robust features included in past titles like Battlefield 1.

It remains to be seen if the Battlefield franchise will manage to claw its way back to the top of the first-person shooter genre. While multiple studios are developing the next Battlefield and the teams involved likely aren’t encountering issues with manpower and experience, a sizable part of the fanbase is still hesitant to put its faith back in the series after its long list of previous disappointments.

Battlefield

EA’s Battlefield franchise is a series of first-person shooter games. The games have predominantly been set in the modern day, though there have also been titles set in World War 1, World War 2, and in the near future. 

The Battlefield franchise is often compared to Call of Duty, with both franchises offering single-player campaigns and online multiplayer.