After a detour back to World War 2, Battlefield will once again return to the pseudo-modern setting with the near future world of Battlefield 2042. The game will return the franchise to a fully multiplayer affair, and will come out 3 years after Battlefield 5. While the wait is on for the game, one has to wonder if this will be the new normal or if 2042 will go down the more ‘live service’ route. It seems it could be a mix of both.
Speaking on an earnings call as transcribed by VGC, EA CEO Andrew Wilson fielded a question about whether we could expect a new Battlefield title every other year. He said that “probably makes sense,” implying that could be the new schedule for the franchise. However, he used that moment to emphasize that they looked at the series as a live service model as a whole, even if that doesn’t mean a constant update to one specific game. In the end, they are focused on yearly engagement over everything else, something that future models will reflect.
“You should understand that this really forms the foundation of what we believe the future of live service around Battlefield is, which over time will include a mobile launch, will include some free to enter components, and really change the nature of what happens from launch to launch.
“So that while an every other year launch probably makes sense if we think about it today, we’re really focused on 365-day engagement in the franchise at a platform level across any device that consumers may want to play on.”
Battlefield 2042 will release across most major platforms on October 22nd. An open beta is set to release on September 6th.
