Key Takeaways
1. Battlefield 6 Beta attracted over 865,000 concurrent players on Steam, showing high interest in the franchise.
2. EA plans to release a new Battlefield game every year, similar to the Call of Duty model, but it may take up to five years to implement this schedule.
3. Three studios will collaborate on different Battlefield projects, each with a three-year development timeline.
4. Concerns arise about potential quality issues and crunch due to shorter development cycles, as seen with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
5. Community feedback expresses worries about game fatigue and lack of content if EA pursues an annual release strategy.
While the Battlefield 6 Beta was available for just a few days, it was sufficient to show that there is a big interest in Battlefield games. The beta reached over 865,000 players at the same time on Steam, making Battlefield 6 one of the largest launches on Steam ever. It even surpassed the peak player count of Call of Duty by a significant amount.
EA’s Future Plans
Given this strong demand, it’s not surprising that EA is said to be looking to launch a new Battlefield game every year soon. Industry expert Michael Patcher, sharing insights via charlieINTEL on X, mentioned that EA plans to follow a yearly release schedule for upcoming Battlefield titles, similar to what Call of Duty does. This information comes from an unnamed Battlefield GM who hinted that it could take up to five years for the yearly releases to actually start.
Development Strategy
So, what’s the plan of EA to make this happen? Reports suggest that they will have three studios working on new Battlefield games at the same time, each with a development period of three years. This approach is alike to Activision’s method with Call of Duty, where three main studios contribute to the series.
At first glance, having three studios work together on different Battlefield projects might seem like good news for fans, as it would lead to quicker releases. However, modern AAA games are known for being time-consuming and resource-heavy to create. Putting a shorter development timeline on top of that can lead to serious problems, including crunch.
Concerns from the Community
For example, look at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Sledgehammer Games is said to have developed that game in just 1.5 years—half the standard 3-year timeframe. The studio faced allegations of crunch and excessive overtime. This rushed development likely influenced the game’s quality, resulting in a 4/10 rating from IGN and a mere 2.5 user rating on Steam.
This situation is what worries many fans of Battlefield. Users commenting on charlieINTEL’s post on X and on r/GamingLeaksAndRumors have shared their fears about possible quality problems, fatigue, and a lack of content if EA pursues an annual release for Battlefield.
Ultimately, it’s still unclear what will come of this speculation. For the moment, Battlefield Studios is concentrating on Battlefield 6, which is set to launch in October.
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