EA CEO Andrew Wilson has spoken with confidence about the next Battlefield title.
As reported by Insider Gaming, John said this about the project to investors in their latest earnings call:
“This is the largest Battlefield team in franchise history. A few weeks ago, I was visiting with the teams, and I couldn’t be more excited about what they showed and what we were able to play.”
Calling them teams is an understatement. EA has assembled a group of developers that matches up to how many developers are working on the Call of Duty games. We know that a smaller team within Motive Studios has been formed to join this team, but EA has also set DICE, Criterion Games, and Ripple Effect to work on this new Battlefield.
Also originally part of this team was Ridgeline Games, but that studio’s founder, Marcus Lehto, decided to quit last March. EA did not disclose if they fired any employees, but they did announce that Ridgeline Games was to be closed, and some of those staff members will be joining the other Battlefield studios.
This is all also in service of EA’s new big plan for the franchise. With Vince Zampella in charge, all these studios are making a complete reboot, with a greater focus on the franchise’s narrative.
But then that makes Wilson’s other statement a little confusing. To quote him verbatim:
“I’ve just spent a whole bunch of time with the collective Battlefield team playing what they’re building and it is going to be another tremendous live service.”
Now, clearly, this is Wilson speaking to what investors want to hear. Investors know live service as the big buzzword in the industry, and that creates an expectation that this game will create a steady stream of revenue long after launch.
Now, it is not impossible for a live service game to have a good, detailed story. But the way Wilson did not mention the story at all creates doubts about that new direction.
Is the reboot really going to lead to a tremendous new story to match that tremendous live service? Or is this really just marketing speak to get fans to buy into EA making something better than what they are actually building?
Ubisoft has already announced their launch plans for XDefiant, and that has already created a great impression as a potential Call of Duty competitor. Perhaps we just need to see this new Battlefield to also be won over. After all, any doubts about any future live service games can be erased when the players get into it and find that it’s fun after all.
