The Battlefield franchise of EA hasn't been having the best of times lately, with the most recent entry being panned by both critics and long-term fans. 2021's Battlefield 2042 decided to take the series towards a more hero-shooter experience, having Specialist characters with gadget powers and even live service elements.
In Neowin's review, I gave the game a 6.5 rating, finding the game fun thanks to the usual Battlefield chaos, but I was still disappointed with bugs, performance issues, and lack of available features.
It looks like EA and DICE want to avoid repeating that, as a new report states that the next entry in the series is currently going through the biggest playtesting phase ever.
Reliable leaker Tom Henderson says (via Insider-Gaming) that due to DICE, Motive, Criterion Games, and Ripple Effect development studios of EA working on the game, the upcoming entry is using up the most resources ever in the franchise. Gathering feedback on the experience throughout development is reportedly a big factor for its teams this time.
Henderson's sources say that playtests are happening much more frequently than with other Battlefield games in the franchise. "From small feedback sessions to large-scale player tests, Battlefield is now taking the much-needed 'player first' approach," continues the report.
The classic Battlefield Community Test Environment feature is slated to return according to the leaker too. This would let the studios test out upcoming patches and seasons for bugs ahead of public releases using test servers that regular players can sign up to play in.
While EA has yet to attach a release timeline for the next Battlefield, today's report says it could be released in about a year's time. Of course, take this with a grain of salt until something official appears out of EA.
Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella, who now oversees the Battlefield franchise, said earlier this year that the team wants to "get the community back on our side, get that trust back."
DICE halted content updates to Battlefield 2042 back in April 2024, saying all teams are now focusing on the next game in the series. The studio has confirmed that It will be a present-day-set experience and will take multiplayer back to 64-player combat. Specialists are not returning for this entry either.
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