Battlefield’s next title may not be announced officially, but the details available make the game seem like it could save the franchise.
Battlefield (BF) has always been a fan favorite in the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, but in recent times, nothing has gone right. Battlefield 2042, the latest title in the series, left a sour taste in the mouths of players upon release.
It has been over three years since then, and only now are people finding some semblance of enjoyment within the game. With the next game all but confirmed, everything will need to be perfect if they want to win back the fans who have moved on to the likes of Delta Force.
A bright future for Battlefield – or the end of the line
For a few months now, we have been hearing many rumors surrounding the next title in the BF series. Between leaks and an interview with Vince Zampella, Head of Respawn and Executive Vice President of Electronic Arts (EA) there have been a fair few tantalizing details spread across the internet.
After the problems and lack of interest in BF2042, the next title needs to be a success right from the word go, or the entire franchise may crash and burn.
With that said, Zampella stated in the interview that he did not believe BF2024 was a complete failure but did lament some of the choices made.
However, even with that, fans of the franchise will be patiently awaiting something solid this time, after the previous game was an immense disappointment on release. Considering the problems within the game, words feel hollow to the player base right now – and there will need to be much more.
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The details bring hope
Zampella’s interview brought inklings of hope for the BF community, for multiple reasons. First and foremost, it was made abundantly clear that the untitled project would return to a modern setting – after we have been taken off the natural course in BF2042 and into the future.
Details have led us to believe that the next title will be set between 2027 and 2030, which falls in line with BF3 and BF4, which were set closer to their relative release time periods.
BF2042 failed on many fronts, including an ambitious attempt at 128-player maps, specialist characters, and maps that were far too big. What we know is that all of these areas will be focused on within the new game. Some of the aspects discussed by Zampella were:
- Smaller, well-designed spaces instead of large, unwieldy maps.
- A move back to 64-player modes.
- The return of the class system.
Yeah, the 128 players, did it make it more fun? Doing the number for the sake of the number doesn't make any sense. We're testing everything around what's the most fun. So the maps, once they get to a certain scale, become different.
It's a different play space, and I think you have to design around that. So we are designing something that is more akin to previous Battlefields. I'd rather have nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces. Some of them are really good. I can't wait for you to see some of them.
An ambitious project
BF’s next iteration has four of EA’s in-house studios developing the title, with DICE, Ripple Effect, Criterion, and Motive, all focusing on the project. One of the above-mentioned studios is also working on a brand-new experience for the BF titles, which is more than likely going to be their take on Call of Duty’s Warzone. Ripple Effect, who were responsible for the BF2042 Portal creator tool, seems to be in charge of this project and it could deliver something refreshing to the BF environment.
Over and above this, Zampella has assured fans that the new game will look to regain the trust of the community with a possible return of the BF Community Test Environment (CTE), which disappeared before BF5.
The core Battlefield players know what they want. They've been with us forever, they've been amazing supporters. We need to earn their trust back and get them back on our side. You can experience more things within the Battlefield universe. So we're expanding the offerings that we're giving.
Delving into what makes a BF game, the multiplayer, we now know that the release of the new game will feature at least 45 weapons – which is essentially double what was released with BF2042. Additionally, we will see approximately 10 maps launching with the game – further bringing it in line with the previous titles. Thankfully, one of the best features will also be returning, as destruction and “levelution” is said to be on the cards.
At the end of the day, Zampella’s interview created a buzz around the new title, but with no release date in sight, or even a reveal trailer, the community remains patient. There are some major bridges to cross and some big boots to fill for the BF franchise if they want to reemerge as the title it once was. We will have to wait until more details become available before we can truly say that it is something special for the genre.
