Speaking on the latest EA earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson has said that the next Battlefield game will be a “reimagination of Battlefield” (transcript via Key to Gaming).
Wilson’s comments have stirred up quite the discussion online, after all, Battlefield 2042 was meant to be a reimagination of the franchise, too. “All out warfare” and “massive scale” were mentioned in the build-up to 2042’s release and whilst technically EA delivered on those buzzwords, the game failed to resonate with players and was considered a huge flop.
However, to give EA the benefit of the doubt, we think the “reimagination” here is referring to the new Battlefield team and EA’s plan to have multiple studios working on multiple Battlefield projects.
After Battlefield 2042’s release, DICE had a major shakeup with Respawn’s Vince Zampella taking on a bigger role as the new overall boss of the Battlefield franchise, while Halo designer Marcus Lehto is building a new development team in Seattle focused on injecting more storytelling into the Battlefield universe. Ripple Effect, the developer of Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode, is developing a new Battlefield experience in the Battlefield 2042 universe (via Gamespot)
Battlefield’s future is seemingly a number of different games and experiences integrated under one roof and whilst it’s easy to get caught up in marketing speak, this “reimagination” is just another way of stating what we’ve already heard following 2042’s launch.
Battlefield 2042 launched in a disastrous state in November 2021, with the majority of core fans criticizing the game for its change of direction from what made the series popular. During an earnings call in February 2022, EA revealed that the game had failed to meet sales expectations because the game “did not resonate” with the Battlefield community.
Battlefield 2042 is a game that will certainly stick with a lot of people for all the wrong reasons and whilst this “reimagination” phrase is easy to get caught on, we think it’s nothing more than a rewording of what’s already been said. In our opinion, it’s best to wait a little longer to see what the team is cooking up.
For more from Insider Gaming, Will Battlefield 2042 Be Free to Play?
