Electronic Arts and DICE plan to regain their past glory by ditching older settings and looking ahead to Battlefield 6, according to new reports.
In a tweet on Tuesday, June 9, Venturebeat games reporter Jeff Grubb said that Battlefield 6 will be set in the present. This comes after industry insider Tom Henderson said the game’s “setting and direction” would take cues from the popular Battlefield 3. Henderson was quick to note, however, that the upcoming title won’t be a Battlefield 3 remake.
Both EA and DICE have been slow to reveal details about future Battlefield plans, but they have said that Battlefield 6 is in development and promised to launch the title sometime between late 2021 and early 2022. EA has confirmed that the game will be designed for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. However, it’s unknown whether EA and other developers will still be offering versions of their new games for current-generation consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, by that time.
In an earnings call last month, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said, “Battlefield is progressing very, very well.” He didn’t share any gameplay elements in his comments, but he did say that it’s moving along without any delay from coronavirus lockdowns. His comments followed EA CFO Blake Jorgensen, who said in January that the game developer expects Battlefield 6 to “blow people’s minds.”
If Battlefield 6 goes back to its modern-day setting, it could mark a return to form for the franchise. After success with modern stories, EA and DICE turned to World War II in Battlefield 5 and followed the World War I storyline in Battlefield 1. Both games were generally well-received, but they failed to make the kind of impact that Battlefield 3 and 4 did, and many players criticized Battlefield 5, specifically, for setting the franchise back.
EA will hold a Play Live livestream on June 18, where it will showcase some of its upcoming games and make other announcements. The company hasn’t said whether Battlefield 6 will factor into that presentation, but given its importance to EA’s broader first-person shooter lineup, don’t be surprised if it does. With a launch date more than a year away, however, it’s unknown what it might be able to show this far in advance.
