It's been said countless times over the last few years that the Battlefield franchise has fallen from grace, and it's hard to deny those claims. B attlefield V dropped the ball on launch with its assortment of technical issues and its lack of the series' trademark atmosphere and sense of scale, and Battlefield 2042 threw that ball out of the window, changing the formula far too much while also delivering a litany of performance issues.
The Battlefield franchise now finds itself on a knife's edge. One wrong move, and it could be all over for the two-decade-long franchise. But one big step in the right direction and Battlefield could just as easily find itself back on top. Hopefully it won't be long before fans get to see which way the next Battlefield will fall.
Though it doesn't have an official title yet, the next Battlefield entry will be referred to as Battlefield 6 for the rest of the article.
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Battlefield 6 Will Be Taking a Back to Basics Approach
Back in February, Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson published a report that claimed the next Battlefield entry would be taking a "back to its roots approach." In September, this report was proven true, as the Head of Respawn and the Group GM for EA Studios Organization, Vince Zampella, sat down with IGN to discuss the Battlefield franchise's ambitious next entry.
During the interview, Zampella specifically spoke about this back-to-basics approach, stating that the "pinnacle of Battlefield [is] Battlefield 3 [and] Battlefield 4," and that EA is trying to "get back to the core of what Battlefield is." In this interview, Zampella also confirmed that a 64-player cap will be reinstated, and that classes will be returning. Battlefield 2042's Specialists will not be returning.
At Least Three Studios Are Working on Battlefield 6
There are currently at least four studios confirmed to be working on Battlefield 6. Franchise creator DICE is taking the lead on Battlefield 6's multiplayer, while Dead Space Remake's EA Motive handles the singleplayer portion of the game. Need for Speed's Criterion Games is assisting on both aspects of Battlefield 6.
One Studio Is Working on a New Battlefield Experience
Developer Ripple Effect – a studio with ties to the original Medal of Honor series – is working on a "new Battlefield experience." Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson has stated on several occasions that he believes this will be a standalone Battlefield battle royale that will be released alongside Battlefield 6, in a similar vein to Call of Duty: Warzone and each annual CoD entry.
Battlefield 6 Will Begin Community Testing in Early 2025
In the IGN interview with Vince Zampella, the Respawn Head mentioned that a "community program" for Battlefield 6 would be launching in 2025. In an EA investors meeting a few days later, Battlefield GM Byron Beede mentioned this program again, calling it a "large-scale community-driven testing program" that's set to take place "early" next year.
It's unconfirmed what type of testing program this will be, but there's a likelihood it could be some kind of Alpha or Beta for Battlefield 6, meaning fans could even get a chance to play the game as early as next year.
Battlefield 6 Could Arrive as Early as October 2025
In Tom Henderson's initial February 2024 report, he stated that Battlefield 6's development team was tentatively targeting an October 2025 release window. While this release window has not been officially confirmed, there is some evidence to suggest that could be the case.
Zampella stated in the IGN interview that EA is already "play testing the game every week," and Beede mentioned in the investors meeting that nearly daily play testing had been occurring for over a year. Though it isn't a surefire conclusion, these statements might suggest Battlefield 6 is actually quite far along in development. If BF6 doesn't release in 2025, fans can expect to at least see a proper reveal before the end of the year.
EA's Battlefield franchise is a series of first-person shooter games. The games have predominantly been set in the modern day, though there have also been titles set in World War 1, World War 2, and in the near future.
The Battlefield franchise is often compared to Call of Duty, with both franchises offering single-player campaigns and online multiplayer.