During EA's earnings call last night, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said that they'll be "revealing more" about Battlefield 4 in "90 days'" time.
Here's Gibeau's complete statement regarding Battlefield 4 (via SeekingAlpha):
We've already talked a little bit about that we have a Battlefield title coming next year, but we're not in a position right now to talk about our development plans and our SKU plan long term…That will come in about 90 days when we get to show you some Battlefield stuff.
So far, the only thing we know about Battlefield 4 is that it will be for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, and that it will have a beta this year for those who bought Medal of Honor Warfighter.
If Gibeau's statement comes true, then this means EA will be revealing Battlefield 4 for the first time around April. What's interesting here is that rumors are pointing to a next-gen reveal from both Sony and Microsft sometime in February or in March. This doesn't quell rumors and speculations that Battlefield 4 will be a "cross-generation" game — meaning it will appear on both current-gen consoles and on next-gen.
To further fuel the cross-gen talk, EA CEO John Riccitiello dropped a few hints that there is a Battlefield 4 version for next-gen stating, "We think Battlefield and FIFA are going to help us lead as we move into the next set of technology opportunities and platform opportunities, and continue to get bigger."
In related news, during the same earnings call, Gibeau also mentioned that EA "will be launching a Battlefield game next year," and added, "will be launching a Battlefield game next year” and said EA is "very excited to show you guys more detail on that coming soon."
This statement brings in a whole mess of questions. Does this mean Battlefield 4 won't see a release this year? Or could this mean we'll see an annual Battlefield game every year? One more scenario that came up is, with Medal of Honor going on hiatus, has EA shifted Danger Close to work on the Battlefield franchise to have alternate teams working on the brand like Call of Duty?
Let me try and answer each question with what I think are the plausible answers.
Does this mean Battlefield 4 won't see a release this year?
I doubt it, especially considering that not only is its beta set for a release later this year, but the comment above by Gibeau confirms they'll be revealing the game in the next 90 days. If so, it would make no sense if they revealed Battlefield 4 in April for a 2014 release. One more reason to consider is that EA has no "big" shooter lined up to occupy its October launch spot aside from Battlefield 4.
Could this mean we'll see an annual Battlefield game every year?
Gibeau mentioned in the same earnings call that "we're not announcing an annualization of Battlefield at this time." And you know what? I believe him. Of course, it could be corporate BS but for now, let's assume he's saying the truth.
Has EA shifted Danger Close to work on the Battlefield franchise to have alternate teams working on the brand like Call of Duty?
This looks to be the most plausible scenario. We now know that there's not a Medal of Honor game to be released next year. So that means either Danger Close is working on a new project, or they'll soon be shuttered down. We might have to wait a month or two to know what's up, but if the studio isn't closed down, I wouldn't be surprised to see them working on Battlefield: Bad Company 3 or another spin-off.
The most logical explanation for Gibeau's statement to make sense (for me, at least), is that he means "next fiscal year" and not the actual year (2014) itself. If that's the case, then Battlefield 4's assumed October 2013 release falls well between it.
Do you think EA will annualize the Battlefield franchise or are some of the reason I gave valid enough?
Thanks, Videogamer, IGN
