EA’s Battlefield 2042 was something of a disappointment for the company, but the franchise remains popular and is set to expand with a major new installment. During EA’s latest earnings briefing, CEO Andrew Wilson said making the new Battlefield game is a top priority for EA right now, adding that the company has high hopes for the project.
“The community is energized by what our teams are doing and excited for what comes next. This is not just one of our top priorities, it is also one of the most ambitious projects in our history. We have brought together the very best team, coupled with the resources and technology they need, to deliver an epic Battlefield experience,” he said.
This new Battlefield game, or “experience” as EA is calling it, is being made by the biggest Battlefield development team in franchise history. Teams at DICE, Motive, Criterion, and Ripple Effect are contributing to a “Battlefield universe” that will span both multiplayer and single-player experiences.
Earlier this year, it was reported the next Battlefield will have a free-to-play battle royale mode created by Ripple Effect. The next game in the FPS franchise won’t arrive until 2025 at the earliest and still doesn’t have an official name. Last August, Wilson said the next Battlefield would be a “reimagination” of the franchise.
EA shuttered Ridgeline Games earlier this year, which was working on a narrative experience for the franchise. Afterward, Halo co-creator and former Ridgeline studio head Marcus Lehto didn’t have “anything positive to say” about EA.
During the earnings briefing this week, Wilson said the Battlefield franchise has surpassed 25 million players in the past 12 months, showing the ongoing strength of the series.
Despite Battlefield 2042’s issues, the game finished 2021 as the No. 5 best-selling game in the US. EA and DICE supported the game with seven seasons’ worth of expansion content. The game is now available on Xbox Game Pass.
