Next Battlefield Reportedly Undergoing Extensive Playtests

Summary

Battlefield’s most recent games have been marked by buggy and disastrous launches.
But with a new Battlefield game on the horizon, EA and DICE are looking to change things for the better by undergoing extensive playtests.
Additionally, the studio is listening to fan feedback, all in an effort to avoid another miss when it comes to its first-person shooter franchise.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the Battlefield franchise. After all, Battlefield 2042 launched all the way back in 2021, and would rather be forgotten by hardcore fans. However, things should change relatively soon, as reportedly EA and DICE are gearing up to share some information.

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To this point, information about the next Battlefield game has been limited at best. There was a piece of concept art revealed in September, one that has since come under fire for allegedly lifting a real-life photo from the ongoing war in Gaza. We do know that it’ll be a “modern” setting, and based off a casting call, it’ll potentially have a campaign.

Now, according to reliable insider Tom Henderson, the game is reportedly undergoing multiple extensive playtests, including for a free-to-play battle royale mode. All of this is an effort to avoid another disastrous launch.

Battlefield Has Had Some Rough Launches

Infamously, Battlefield 2042 was a disaster at launch, with even basic features like a multiplayer scoreboard not being added to the game until months later. At the time, it was one of the worst-reviewed games on Steam.

Before that, Battlefield 5 launched in a rough shape, and 2013’s Battlefield 4 wasn’t much better either. Back then, EA went as far as to call the launch of Battlefield 4 “unacceptable,” with leadership vowing to change its processes to avoid another similar situation. That obviously didn’t happen.

As Henderson noted in his report, four studios are working on Battlefield, including DICE, Motive, Ripple Effect and Criterion. It is reportedly the most resources devoted to a game in franchise history. More so, its extensive playtests are being used to test things, as well as garner fan feedback in an effort to improve the game as much as possible.

Ultimately, only time will tell whether these playtests will give Battlefield a smooth launch, something the franchise arguably hasn’t experienced. Still, the word of hardcore fans who’ve managed to stick around should go a long way in improving things.