EA Unveils Battlefield Labs and Battlefield Studios for Next-Gen Battlefield Game
EA has offered the first official look at its upcoming Battlefield title, alongside details about its player testing program, Battlefield Labs, and the newly formed Battlefield Studios.
A short pre-alpha gameplay video was released alongside the announcement, showcasing the game's early development. The video also introduces Battlefield Studios, a collaborative effort uniting four EA studios to develop the new game.
These studios include DICE (Stockholm), responsible for multiplayer development; Motive (Dead Space and Star Wars: Squadrons), handling single-player missions and multiplayer maps; Ripple Effect (formerly DICE LA), focused on attracting new players; and Criterion (formerly working on Need for Speed), tasked with the single-player campaign.
The new Battlefield marks the return of a traditional linear single-player campaign, a departure from the multiplayer-only Battlefield 2042. EA is currently in a critical development phase and is seeking player feedback through Battlefield Labs to prioritize improvements before release. Participation requires signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Testing will encompass core gameplay elements, including combat, destruction, weapons, vehicles, gadgets, maps, modes, and squad play. Conquest and Breakthrough modes are confirmed, alongside refinements to the class system.
Initially, a few thousand players in Europe and North America will be invited, with plans to expand to tens of thousands more and additional regions later.
This ambitious project follows the closure of Ridgeline Games, a studio working on a standalone single-player Battlefield title. The new game will feature a modern setting, a return to the style of Battlefield 3 and 4, as confirmed by Vince Zampella, Head of Respawn and Group GM for EA Studios Organization. Concept art suggests ship-to-ship and helicopter combat, along with natural disasters as gameplay elements. The game will also revert to 64-player maps and eliminate the Specialist system from Battlefield 2042.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson has described the project as one of EA's most ambitious undertakings, highlighting the significant investment and collaborative effort. Zampella emphasizes the importance of regaining the trust of core Battlefield players while also expanding the franchise's appeal to a wider audience.
EA has not yet revealed a release date, platforms, or the official title for the new Battlefield game.
