There’s an interesting story out now explaining how every veteran developer who made Battlefield left EA, leaving the franchise in the hands of new studios.
This comes from Bluesky user Rizible, who claims to be one such former developer. We can’t verify their identity and their claims for now, but we will say their story has so many details that it at least seems credible. It will certainly be interesting to see if any of the people they mentioned will react.
We’ll share a simplified timeline of what Rizible claims happened below:
DICE, headed by Patrick Soderlund, is acquired by EA in 2005. Soderlund is put in charge of all EA game studios as a result. DICE goes on to have its highly successful and legendary run on the Battlefield franchise.
This ends when DICE General Manager Patrick Bach, the last developer who was in the studio before the acquisition, leaves in 2016. There are rumors he was kicked out for inappropriate behavior.
Replacing Bach is Oskar Gabrielson. Gabrielson founded his own studio named Uprise, and like Soderlund, he successfully cashed out and sold his studio to EA. Gabrielson is GM for Star War Battlefront II, which is mired in loot box controversy.
Soderlund lets Gabrielson take the blame. He then personally takes over as director of Battlefield V, leaving Bioware to complete Mass Effect: Andromeda. Soderlund leaves just before Battlefield V launches. He forms a new studio named Embark, which is literally 15 minutes away from DICE’s head studio in Stockholm. He goes on to poach DICE talent.
At this point, EA now has three consecutive glops. But unlike Ubisoft, EA is saved from their shareholders’ wrath by Apex Legends. Because of this, Respawn gets the ear of the new head of EA Studios, Soderlund’s replacement Laura Miele. Respawn head Vince Zampella is put in charge of Battlefield 2042 and now runs DICE L.A.
Gabrielson, not Zampella, takes the blame for Battlefield 2042’s failure, and is asked to leave in 2021. Replacing him is former Ubisoft GM Rebeca Coutaz, while Byron Beede, former Call of Duty GM, is hired as Battlefield’s new GM. Finally, Battlefield’s remaining veterans leave. Some start a studio of their own called TTK Games.
So where is Battlefield now? The reboot headed by Zampella is being developed by DICE, Ripple Effect, Criterion, and Motive. If plans haven’t changed, that 1st reboot game will arrive in 2026.
One would say all of this portends doom for the Battlefield franchise, but one could alternately take the view that a fresh start is sorely needed now. Zampella and Miele are about to enter an even more competitive live service market, but it is still foolhardy to completely count out what is one of the biggest FPS franchises in the industry.
It may also be ironically fortuitous for Battlefield that its sister franchise Apex Legends is starting to fade out, as EA is in a prime position to take what they learned from that game to make their reboot a huge success. Let’s wait and see what Battlefield has become under a completely new team.
