This past week there has been some big news concerning the Battlefield franchise. If you're a Battlefield fan you definitely want to read up on this news as the future of Battlefield is being questioned by some fans.
First, EA wants to expand the Battlefield universe in a big way. Here are a few quotes from Vince Zampella, who is now overseeing the Battlefield franchise.
"Speaking with GameSpot, Vince Zampella--the Respawn co-founder who is now also overseeing the Battlefield franchise--explained that the intent here is not to replace 2042, but to create a "connected Battlefield universe."
"We will continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042, and we'll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an awesome array of experiences for our players. In this universe, the world is interconnected with shared characters and narrative. This universe is also built with our community as we harness the power of Portal and user generated content that puts creativity in the hands of our players."
"... there is at least one other possible game in the works from Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA). The new Seattle-based studio founded by Marcus Lehto (best known for his prominent role on the Halo series), meanwhile, is working on world-building and narrative within the Battlefield franchise."
Source: GameSpot article
Personnel changes
Second, with the above stated, we know there will be change and change has been happening at DICE. I don't know if it's related, but since Battlefield 2042 was released, we've been hearing about some people leaving DICE, recently Oskar Gabrielson, the general manager of DICE, and others such as Fawzi Mesmar, DICE's head of design, and Aleksander Grøndal, executive producer. I'm sure we will hear about more folks leaving DICE.
There was also news that Rebecka Coutaz, former studio director at Ubisoft Annecy will be taking over as DICE's general manager.
"... DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson is leaving the company to pursue a new endeavor outside of EA. The shake-up also includes Respawn's Vince Zampella taking on a bigger role as the new overall boss of the Battlefield franchise, while Halo designer Marcus Lehto is building a new development team in Seattle focused on injecting more storytelling into the Battlefield universe. Ripple Effect, the developer of Battlefield 2042's Portal mode, is developing a new Battlefield experience in the Battlefield 2042 universe."
"In the immediate future, EA told GameSpot that DICE, Ripple Effect, and Lehto's new Seattle studio will work together to expand upon and improve Battlefield 2042. The other Battlefield games and experiences in the works are meant to serve as extensions, to a degree, of the new Battlefield universe that EA is trying to create."
"As for Lehto, the man who designed Master Chief and played a major role in making Halo what it is today, he is heading up a new, unnamed studio in the Seattle area. It will collaborate with DICE and Ripple Effect with the aim of expanding the narrative, storytelling, and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series."
"Byron Beede, the longtime Call of Duty veteran who EA hired earlier this year to grow the Battlefield series as the shepherd of its long-term strategy and business decisions, said Lehto and his team in Seattle will expand Battlefield 2042's narrative across a 'variety of experiences.' These will lay the foundation for "storytelling opportunities now and well into the future," Beede teased. Whatever Lehto's team creates, it will show up in 'later seasons' for Battlefield 2042 and 'beyond.'"
"In another big move, Battlefield 2042 Portal developer Ripple Effect will continue to support Portal while it gets to work on a 'new experience' in the Battlefield 2042 universe."
Source: GameSpot article
My thoughts
As a big Battlefield fan I am both worried and excited for changes to the franchise. It's obvious that Battlefield is changing and trying to copy what has worked for Call of Duty. Only time will tell if it will work and if this is good or bad for the franchise. Make sure to fully read both of the GameSpot articles I linked to above. I am also keeping an eye on Embark Studios, where a lot of former DICE employees are going to.