First Official Look at New Battlefield Gameplay as EA Reveals Battlefield Labs

EA Unveils Battlefield Labs and Battlefield Studios: A New Era for the Franchise

EA has offered the first official look at its upcoming Battlefield game, alongside details about its player testing program, Battlefield Labs, and the newly formed Battlefield Studios.

A short pre-alpha gameplay video accompanies the announcement, showcasing the progress of the new title. The video serves as a call to action for playtesters.

Battlefield Studios is the collective name for the four studios developing the new Battlefield game: DICE (Stockholm), Motive, Ripple Effect, and Criterion. Each studio has a specific role:

• DICE (Sweden): Multiplayer development.
• Motive: Single-player missions and multiplayer maps.
• Ripple Effect: Attracting new players to the franchise.
• Criterion: 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 seeks player feedback via Battlefield Labs. This program will test various aspects of the game, from core combat and destruction to weapons, vehicles, and gadgets. Conquest and Breakthrough modes will also be tested, alongside refinements to the class system. Participation requires signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

EA states that initial invites to Battlefield Labs will be limited to a few thousand players in Europe and North America, expanding to tens of thousands later and including additional regions. This ambitious project follows the closure of Ridgeline Games, a studio previously working on a standalone single-player Battlefield title.

The new Battlefield will feature a modern setting, a shift from previous iterations set in World War I, World War II, and the near future. Concept art suggests ship-to-ship and helicopter combat, alongside natural disasters as gameplay elements. The game will utilize 64 players per map and abandon the Specialist system from Battlefield 2042.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson has described the project as one of EA's most ambitious, reflecting the significant investment and the involvement of multiple studios. Vince Zampella, Head of Respawn and Group GM for EA Studios Organization, has emphasized a return to the core gameplay elements of Battlefield 3 and 4, while also aiming to expand the franchise's appeal to a wider audience.

EA has yet to announce a release date, platforms, or the official title for the new Battlefield game.