First details on EA’s new Battlefield revealed, including a modern setting

Electronic Arts has revealed the first details on its next Battlefield game, which is currently in production at multiple internal studios.

Respawn and Infinity Ward co-founder Vince Zampella, who is now the overseer of the Battlefield franchise, told IGN that the series is returning to a modern setting with the upcoming title.

The first piece of concept art for the game, which is viewable above, points to the inclusion of land, sea and air combat.

“I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it’s that Battlefield 3… Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern,” Zampella said. “And I think we have to get back to the core of what Battlefield is and do that amazingly well, and then we’ll see where it goes from there.

“But I think for me, it’s that peak of Battlefield-ness is in that Battlefield 3 and 4 days. So I think it’s nostalgic for players, for me, for the teams even. Those are kind of the heyday…although I would say 1942 also.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Zampella said the game will ditch the 128-player matches and unpopular Specialist system featured in Battlefield 2042, in favour of the franchise’s more traditional 64-player battles and class system.

“So we are designing something that is more akin to previous Battlefields,” Zampella said. “I’d rather have nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces. Some of them are really good. I can’t wait for you to see some of them.”

“Specialist will not be coming back,” he added. “So classes are kind of at the core of Battlefield, and we’re going back to that.”

While EA hasn’t confirmed a launch window for the game, Zampella said some players will be able to sample it in some form next year.

“We have a program that we’re going to announce next year around getting more community in, because that’s kind of the core of what we have to do — get the community back on our side, get that trust back.. So I think we’re in a really good place. Is it challenging? Of course, but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t.”

EA announced in April that Dead Space remake and Star Wars: Squadrons studio Motive had joined its wider Battlefield development team.

Motive is working alongside fellow EA studios DICE, Criterion and Ripple Effect to create “a Battlefield universe across connected multiplayer experiences and single-player”, the publisher said.

The following month, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said “the largest Battlefield team in franchise history” was hard at work building “another tremendous live service”.

“Yeah, it’s definitely betting bigger on Battlefield,” Zampella said of EA’s investment in the franchise. “It’s going in and expanding what Battlefield is. We have to have the core. The core Battlefield players know what they want. They’ve been with us forever, they’ve been amazing supporters. We need to earn their trust back and get them back on our side.

“And then it’s expanding out and getting more players into the universe and seeing what we can do, so when you want a different experience, you don’t have to leave Battlefield. You can experience more things within the Battlefield universe. So we’re expanding the offerings that we’re giving.”