Massive Scale New Battlefield Game Set To Arrive In 2021
EA DICE is rolling out the big guns (physically and metaphorically) as it confirms a brand new Battlefield game is on the way in 2021. While we're all used to hopping in tanks with the long-running Battlefield name, there have always been criticisms it doesn't stack up compared to something like Activision's Call of Duty. Despite EA Games trying to tackle this, the underwhelming performance of 2018's Battlefield V did nothing to alleviate those fears.
Selling just 7.3 million copies by the end of 2018 meant Battlefield V hit less than half of what Battlefield 1 did. Although DICE tried to keep the content coming post-launch, the title was slammed for a lack of content at launch, as well as a lack of innovation. While Call of Duty has gone from strength to strength following the equally disappointing Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in 2018, things have been particularly quiet on the Battlefield front.
What's coming for Battlefield?
Click to enlargeWhile the rumour mill has been going into overdrive for a while, EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed the next Battlefield will drop into action for the 2021 holiday season. Making "prepared remarks" for EA's quarterly financials, Wilson promised that "DICE is creating our next Battlefield game with never-before-seen scale".
Hinting at why there's been such a wait between titles, Wilson reiterated, "The technical advancements of the new consoles are allowing the team to deliver on a true next-gen vision for the franchise. We have hands-on play testing underway internally, and the team’s been getting very positive feedback on the game as we’ve begun to engage our community".
It's important to note there's no word on the official title being Battlefield 6, suggesting it could be a true reinvention of the series. There have been plenty of whispers that Battlefield will once again tackle a modern setting, which would definitely fit the brief mixing things up a bit. There are also continued reports that there will be a massive battle royale element that could give Call of Duty: Warzone a run for its money. Ultimately, Wilson and the rest of those at the top aren't willing to give anything away just yet.
What else is EA working on?
The follow-up to Battlefield V will be one of six next-gen games that EA has planned for the 2022 fiscal year. It's good news at a time the publisher needs a serious boost. The same earnings call revealed the company has seen its revenue tumble by 14% in Q3. There were big releases like Madden NFL 21 and Star Wars: Squadrons, however, the big hitter of FIFA 21 just missed the cut.
Elsewhere, it's not all doom and gloom. It's important to remember EA is in charge of Apex Legends, which continues to grow at an exponential rate. Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen reminded critics how Respawn Entertainment's battle royale behemoth has gone from zero to $1 billion in less than two years. Q4 looks a little brighter for EA thanks to the release of FIFA 21, Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Remastered, and NHL 21.
There's no news on what the other five games launching in the 2022 fiscal year will be, but with that galaxy far, far away also growing faster than we can keep track of, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be some form of Star Wars game in the mix. Either way, Battlefield will we be going back into the trenches in 2021. Will it be a return to the franchise's glory days or will this one be another suicide mission? Watch this space.
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