EA reveals plans to build "connected Battlefield universe" across multiple games and studios

EA reveals plans to build "connected Battlefield universe" across multiple games and studios • Eurogamer.net

'EA has announced plans to build a "connected Battlefield experience", spanning multiple titles and studios, alongside news of a senior management shake-up that will see DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson depart the studio and Respawn's Vince Zampella taking on the role of Battlefield franchise boss while retaining his existing managerial duties.

Zampella revealed EA's plans to create a multiple-game "connected Battlefield universe" in an interview with GameSpot, explaining it would feature an interconnected world with shared characters and stories, and "the player at the center". The aim of the move, Zampella claimed, is to "grow Battlefield and meet players where they play through various experiences and business models", including the upcoming Battlefield Mobile.

Alongside that mobile instalment, which is in development at Industrial Toys, Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA) is reportedly working on a new title as part of EA's fledging Battlefield universe plans, while the recently announced Seattle-based studio founded by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto is said to be focussed on world-building and narrative across a "variety of experiences" in the Battlefield franchise.'

Ah yes, the gaming equivalent of the MCU has arrived, with Call of Duty and League of Legends already heading that way too.

Sounds like fun, let’s give it a try.

I'm gonna retired from this franchise and unless they really bring back Bad Company, I don't want no part of Battlefield.

Meh. Maybe instead they should focus on making a good Battlefield game

No thanks.

SPECTACULAR.

Sure, before making multiple connected games they should try making one good game first.

BF2042 is a weak imitation of a Battlefield game.

RIP Battlefield. I'm with you I would love another Bad Company game but unfortunately alot of those old talented members of Dice left years ago. Battlefield isn't Battlefield anymore it's transforming into some weird mutation of a F2P game.

Lol, nah, I lost all faith in DICE. It's just a husk of what they used to be. Them being under EA is just killing them slowly.

Seems to me like DICE had a lot of liberty to do what they wanted, all EA wanted is to be more like FIFA so they can sell their FUT shit.

DICE made Battlefront 2, Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042.

DICE screwed up the launches of Battlefront 2, Battlefield 4 and 2042

@R4gn4r0k: They're part of the blame, but EA is probably the ones that need to be blamed the most. They probably pushed a "what can we do to maximize profits" route on 2042, hence the stupid operators and skins, plus all the stupid quips resemblng fortnite and apex.

Interesting. I’m not really into the Battlefield franchise myself but I’ll certainly at least take a wait and see approach as to what they may come up with. The best part of the news for me though is that Vince Zampella is taking up role of franchise boss for Battlefield.

Are they giving us another Battlefield Hardline?!

They want to build what CoD has, but it will never work because the core audience is VERY different. It will explode in their face and i cannot wait to see it😂

Right now, looking at their updates and such, its as if they plugged their ears, covered their eyes and release all the bullshit nobody asked. In one month from now, there will be so little amount of people playing that you will see DICE panic like we've never seen it before. I hope everyone at that company is fired and they never work for another quality franchise. Please go work for a mobile dev. Thanks.

Wasn't that what BF2042's Portal mode was supposed to be?

Well Respawn getting involved, or rather Zampella, is not necessarily a bad thing.

But I don't really like this overall idea of a "unifying theory of Battlefield" so to speak.

When are these AAA developers going to realize that less is more? Just make us a good, solid game and be done with it. We don't need heroes, we don't need backstories...yeah it worked for APEX Legends, sort of, what with those cool animated backstories but that doesn't mean we need it for Battlefield.

Hopefully they get rid of the Frostbite engine; I think it looks good, but apparently it is a nightmare for everyone but DICE (the people that built it) to work with.

@hardwenzen: To be fair, I think Dice is a good studio with a lot of talented people. But they keep getting handed new lists of features from the marketing and accounting departments that they have to shoehorn into these games. None of the actual developers were going, "Guys. I really think loot boxes would enhance the player experience in Battlefront 2", or "Battlefield isn't quite finnished, but we should release it anyway because waiting a little longer will hurt the player experience more than bugs or lack of content".

Give them some creative freedom, and they will give you Mirror's Edge or Bad Company. Give them some bullet points that focus tested well, and they will give you Mirror's Edge Catalyst or Battlefield 2042.

One game at a time. lets make a single game that is playable before we start on a shared universe

That's what i originally thought, but everyone keeps telling me that all the talent has left years ago, and what's in charge is just a bunch of people that were interns just a few years ago and the ones chasing those SJW points with every new entry. Honestly, i am a point i don't give a shit anymore. Delete everyone.

Vince is probably a good leader for the BF franchise, but do i really want a cod-like/apex-like experience from BF? F*ck no.

Some thought that GTA Demaster is the clusterfuck of 2021, but what if i told you that BF2042 is only beginning its campaign of being the biggest shitstorm we've had in a while (excluding cp2077 cuz ain't nobody is beating that). What a juicy game😂All these big publishers are so disconnected from gamers its incredible.

This reminds me a lot of DC's epic fail at Justice League. They really desperately want some connected world content, except the flagship title is complete shit so why would anyone want an expanded universe of that?

So they're gonna connect a bunch of shitty games together to make a shitty connected universe...ummm...wow that's definitely EA. 🤣

RIP Battlefield franchise. 2002-2021. It was a good run while it lasted.

That studio has done some good games, but not sure I want to see Battlefield going down that path. Battlefield had it's own identify previously, even with the last couple of mediocre iterations still felt like Battlefield (perhaps just a little more sped up and fast paced). BF 2042 already felt like nonsense even before the COD/Titanfall guys now get their hands on it. It's probably going full CoD now. Bleh.

Uhhh....

It's the heads of something. Either the heads of EA or the heads at DICE greenlit all the bad ideas (removing classes, operators, big maps with nothing on them, removal of Rush, removal of scoreboard, awful cringy end of round voice lines). And banned all the good ideas (BF V movement, squad system, squad revives, operations, Rush, Frontlines).

There's something rotten going on at the head of DICE/EA and it stinks!

Universe already exists with 2042, u have portal = all older battlefields + warzone + battlefield 2042.

It's only a couple of games. BC2, BF3 and BF1942.

And two maps for each game. A handful of weapons and vehicles. And it has some stuff from BF2042 like buggy gameplay, poor netcode and a UI that's not readable.

At the same time, Litchie revealed plans to never buy or play a BF game ever again.

Didn't DnD technically do this?

And Warhammer, but they're not really video gaming franchises. They started on tabletop first.

I think what we're seeing is video games trying to expand the other way, which is more novel.

I was thinking last night about this. I wonder if it ever occurred to them that we play Battlefield because it is not like other games, and by making it like other games, it therefore becomes less appealing.

I don't play COD, I don't play APEX....I play Battlefield, because it's not like those other two.

And that is why adding dumbass looking skins, emotes and gun camos with dildos and marijuana will explode so damn well in their face. They don't understand their fans. They think that just because the game is in first person, its the same CoD demographic. Its like try to add this garbage to tarkov and see where it gets ya. The self ownage is gonna be glorious.

The thing that drove this point home is that on the Gamespot frontpage there's an article about BF and they show one of the "heroes" up close, because instead of classes now we have named specialists or heroes or whatever.

Historically, they wouldn't do that. They wouldn't highlight the individual because in BF games it's never about the actual recognition of the soldier, of what outfit they're wearing, what skin their weapon has. It would have been a picture of the game in action.

In short, it looked like an article about COD.

Idunno probably reading into it too much, it's just something that caught my eye.

Anyway I hope it does blow up their face. I imagine their market studies or focus groups or whatever indicated that they're guaranteed X amount of players no matter what, so it's worth it to milk these people with microtransactions instead of maintaining a larger playerbase. I don't know.

I recall how since BF4 each BF game was supposed to have a way for players to jump between games online modes if you have them all installed. Seems they already tried it so how'd this be different? I never bothered though, each game install size is huge and the menus were slow as hell and that would just seem something I'd worried would brick my console if I tried. So, are they going for a COD Warzone approach? If so, well, pisses me off a little as I bought BF2042 thinking Portal Mode was supposed to be that.

But, Respawn is involved, jeez, even more infuriating. Just make another Titanfall already.