EA says Battlefield 6 is ‘way ahead’ of schedule, supports ‘more players than ever before’
Game will be revealed in the spring ahead of holiday 2021 release
Electronic Arts has said that DICE is “way ahead” of schedule with development of Battlefield 6 as the publisher gears up to reveal the title this spring.
“Our next Battlefield experience will mark a return to all out military warfare,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said during the company’s third quarter earnings call on Tuesday.
“The game takes full advantage of the power of next generation platforms to bring massive immersive battles to life with more players than ever before.
“Featuring maps with unprecedented scale, the next edition of Battlefield takes all the destruction, player agency, vehicle and weapon combat that the franchise is known for and elevates it to another level.
“The team is focused and the game is ahead of our internal milestones,” Wilson added. “We will reveal the game in the spring and deliver a defining Battlefield experience for our players in holiday 2021.”
EA CFO Blake Jorgensen later reiterated that DICE is “way ahead of where we were in prior product cycles” when it comes to the Battlefield’s development.
It was claimed last year that Battlefield 6’s multiplayer maps were being designed to support increased player counts.
That’s according to Tom Henderson, a reputable Call of Duty leaker who previously said DICE’s upcoming shooter would centre on modern day military combat – a claim later backed up by VentureBeat journalist Jeff Grubb.
Henderson, who is the CEO of production company and social media agency Viral Junkie, claimed the new Battlefield game’s “maps have been designed with 128+ players in mind”.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean 64vs64 is coming,” he later added. “The core game is still 32vs32.”
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UPDATE: During the Q&A section of Tuesday’s earnings call, presumably with a nod to Call of Duty Warzone, an analyst asked EA about FPS games using free-to-play modes to “expand the top funnel” and whether the company has any ambitions to do something like that with Battlefield.
“On Battlefield, we don’t have anything more to share at this point other than we believe it’s going to usher in a new generation for Battlefield games and Battlefield fans benefitting from the full power of next-gen platforms,” EA boss Wilson responded.
“And you should imagine that we’re looking across all forms of the experience to ensure that this is exactly the game that Battlefield fans want to play and the game that we believe will drive growth in the Battlefield franchise.”
