Bilawal Bashir 
EA’s Battlefield series has seen a dip in player counts over the latest entries, and the company’s idea for fixing it in Battlefield 6 is by introducing more live-service elements.
Live-service games have garnered a terrible reputation of late, with games like Marvel’s Avengers and EA’s own Anthem fizzling on release. Other games like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League were rejected because, quite simply, fans wanted developer Rocksteady Studios to work on something else.
Helldivers 2 has been turning gamers around on the genre with fast updates, gameplay changes, and a unique battle pass system. A big multiplayer title like Battlefield would need proper live-service features to keep it interesting for the long run, but EA’s announcement might be what the franchise needs.
Battlefield 2024 had a rocky launch with empty maps, an unpopular switch to specialists instead of classes, and no scoreboard after matches. Players also complained about performance issues, making the game hard to play. The worst problem was the lack of content for almost an entire year after release. This time, EA wants to make Battlefield a live-service game to eliminate content delivery issues.
Will Battlefield 6 be a live-service game?
The next Battlefield, commonly referred to as Battlefield 6, will be a live-service game supported by multiple EA studios.
In an earnings call, EA CEO Andrew Wilson explained that the next Battlefield “is going to be another tremendous live service” title.
Previous Battlefield games could technically be considered live-service, but the the thudding launch and lack of a clear content timeline saw the player base walk away. Realistic military-themed FPS games haven’t found steady success in a live-service format, and EA wants to change that.
In 2021, Vince Zampella, the founder of Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Star Wars Jedi, was handed the Battlefield franchise. Zampella remains in charge, and EA is pulling out all the stops stops to make Battlefield 6 a success.
The next Battlefield will be bigger
Multiple EA studios including Motive, DICE, Criterion, and Ripple Effect are working on the next Battlefield game.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson stated that the team is making “a Battlefield universe across connected multiplayer and single-player experiences.” The last Battlefield titles heavily focused on the multiplayer aspects, at the expense of the single-player experience. EA also closed down Ridgeline, a studio working on a single-player-focused Battlefield game.
Battlefield 6 does not have an estimated release date. EA plans to release two unannounced titles during the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2025. One of the mystery games could be the awaited Dragon Age title while the other may be Battlefield 6.
