According to GameSpot, a tectonic shift is approaching in the Battlefield franchise, with Electronic Arts restructuring a variety of firms and committing to a connected universe of projects in the long-running first-person shooter series.
Most significantly, Vince Zampella, Respawn Entertainment co-founder and CEO, will now oversee all Battlefield development following the demise of DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson. Zampella was previously charged with overhauling DICE Los Angeles in early 2021, a move that saw the firm renamed Ripple Effect Studios in August. Ripple Effect is credited with developing Battlefield 2042's well-known Portal mode, which allows players to create custom matches with content from previous titles.
We will continue to develop and expand Battlefield 2042, and we'll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an incredible array of experiences for our players, Zampella told GameSpot. We will continue to evolve and expand Battlefield 2042, and well explore new types of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an incredible array of experiences for our players in this universe, he added. This universe is also built
This news comes just days after near-universal condemnation of Battlefield 2042 after its November 19 debut due to its lackluster PC performance at high levels, bugs, and overall feature dearth. Battlefield developer DICE is now undertaking an apology tour and promising a bunch of post-launch fixes for the coming months, a move thats become all too common in modern game development.
Former Halo designer Marcus Lehto leads a new, currently unnamed EA subsidiary in Seattle, Washington, with the goal of adding more narrative to the franchise. Lehtos studio will also collaborate with DICE and Ripple Effect in the ongoing development of Battlefield 2042, creating storytelling possibilities now and well into the future, according to Battlefield series general manager Byron Beede, the former Call of Duty boss who joined EA earlier this year.
While [Lehto] and his team in the Seattle area are just getting started on shaping the Battlefield world of tomorrow, their work will shape later seasons for 2042 and beyond, Beede told GameSpot. "This new company will act as the driver for narrative in tight collaboration with DICE and Ripple Effect Studios to help build great player experiences in the Battlefield universe."
Industrial Toys, a California-based firm headed by Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian, is presently working on the only publicly traded Battlefield project outside of Battlefield 2042. Battlefield Mobile is a mobile spinoff planned for 2022.
With so many big names leading the direction on Battlefield, it's apparent that EA considers the franchise one of its most important objectives in the future. However, the shaky foundation established by Battlefield 2042 essentially needs fixing first if it's going to serve as the so-called cornerstone of this new universe. Let's hope fans get the game they want as EA's focus expands.