The single-player campaign for Glacier was set to be handled by developer Ridgeline Games, but it was seemingly unable to hit required milestones. According to the report, the top leadership working on Glacier were dissatisfied with the progress made by Ridgeline. The studio was ultimately shut down, with development handed over to Criterion, DICE and Motive.

However, sources have indicated that Ridgeline faced quite a few issues as it attempted to develop the campaign, especially owing to the studio’s attempts to grow the development team. “They kept reallocating funds—essentially staff months—out of our budget,” said one person. “And, you know, we’re sitting there trying to adapt to doing more with less.” There were also reportedly other issues, including the lack of internal reviews and “proper check-ins”, which essentially hid the real status of the project until the review that led to studio’s closure.

When it came to handing the development to the other studios, according to a source, “There was essentially nothing left that Ridgeline had spent two years working on that they could pick up on and build, so they had to redo essentially everything from scratch within the same constraints of when the game had to release.”

As Glacier as a whole made slow progress through EA’s internal milestone system – referred to as “gates” – with gate three having been cleared by the project as of May this year, the single-player campaign was seemingly still far behind in development. This essentially means that, besides the single-player, game modes like Conquest and Rush that the Battlefield franchise is known for at least have alpha builds ready.

While the game as a whole – as well as the single-player campaign – is being developed by a number of studios teaming up, there has also reportedly been quite a bit of tension between the studios. Some of this tension came about from the culture shock of having development teams across different countries and even continents like the Sweden-based DICE, Battlefield 2042’s failure to meet internal expectations has also been a source of problems.

“DICE being originally a Swedish studio, they are a bit more humble. They want to build the best game, and they want to achieve the greatest in terms of the game experience,” said a developer. “Of course, when you’re operated by EA, you have to set financial expectations in order to be as profitable as possible.”

EU-based team members have also expressed being dismayed at leadership from other countries giving top-down directives for the development of Battlefield – a franchise which was essentially created by DICE. US-based staff, however, have seemingly not seen this as much of a problem, instead referring to general growing pains as a bigger source of trouble.

The same has been confirmed by EA itself, with CEO Andrew Wilson confirming in the company’s recent quarterly earnings briefing that Battlefield 6 – or whatever it is that the next game in the military shooter franchise ends up being called – is going to be formally unveiled sometime this Summer.

“As we look to the future, we’re confident in our ability to execute across a deep pipeline — beginning this summer with the highly anticipated reveal of Battlefield, a pivotal step in delivering on our next generation of blockbuster entertainment,” Wilson said.

What does that mean for when the game will be released? That much remains to be seen, but EA has previously said that it’s going to launch before the end of the ongoing fiscal year, i.e. before April 2026, which means the wait won’t be too long either way.

Meanwhile, plans are also in place for continued extensive playtesting of the title in the lead-up to its release. Read more on that through here.

Kicking things off, the post talks about the developers’ vision for how gunplay and movement should work in Battlefield. The combat, for instance, will be designed to try and make sure that players of varying skill levels can still enjoy the game.

While beginners can still have fun with the core gunplay and movement, the developers are trying to design it in a way where even veterans get rewarded with in-depth movement options and precise weapon feedback when they’re in a gunfight.

“We’re designing the combat experience to ensure players of all skill levels can enjoy our gunplay and movement systems,” the post reads. “Our goal is to offer gameplay that rewards skill with precise weapon feedback and movement options for veterans, while providing an intuitive experience for new players to learn and enjoy.”

Movement and gunplay will both be deeply integrated, while also remaining intuitive and rewarding for players.

The first playtest will be focused on creating “consistent and optimised millisecond-to-millisecond soldier combat,” according to the developers. An example it gave of this was a reduction in the time it takes for bullets to show up on the player’s screen after they pull the trigger. This was done to make combat feel more responsive, and to allow players to better track and hit moving targets.

“We’re optimizing for a 60Hz tick rate, ensuring the game server more frequently updates the positions and actions for all players,” explain the developers. “This results in responsive gameplay across all platforms and inputs. You’ll notice more precise shooting and movement, enhanced damage feedback, and more accurate representation of other players’ positions and combat outcomes.”

The recoil system for different weapon types has also been adjusted to make sure that they all feel unique. When paired with camera shakes, the recoil direction for each weapon will better match the gameplay angle. There will also be a visual change in how weapons stabilise the better a player’s handling of the weapon is.

Movement, on the other hand, has gotten revamped animations. Classic movement options like crouch sprint, combat dive, and landing roll are also being brought back, along with visual indicators to make sure that players know when they can vault over an obstacle or lean around a corner.

The developers have also said that, from its Battlefield Labs playtesters, they are looking for feedback for various aspects of the game, including the look and feel of movement, the pacing of combat, the improvements to weapon aiming and control, the feel of different weapon archetypes, and the weapon balance and how it affects the fun factor.

EA recently started sending out emails to players that had registered for Battlefield Labs to kick off its first playtests. The first wave of these playtests will focus on the PC version of the game, and will take place for around two hours.

https://t.co/5egZX9KCaq

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) March 7, 2025

According to Insider Gaming, the email sent out by EA mentions that the playtest will be done in a “closed test environment.” Players will also be not allowed to stream or record any of the playtest, and discussion has also been prohibited.

Battlefield Labs is a new way that EA will be using to test the next game in the franchise. Overseen by a team composed of DICE, Motive, Ripple Effect and Criterion, Battlefield Labs is a “place for us to test concepts and experiences we’re excited about with you, our players.”

The company has also made it clear that those that register for Battlefield Labs and get selected for various playtests will only be able to do so under NDA. On the other hand, this also allows Battlefield fans to have a greater say in how the game is being developed, and it allows the developers to get feedback on various aspects of the title.

The next Battlefield game is currently in its pre-alpha stages, and will be a prime target for playtests through Battlefield Labs. To kick things off, testing will first revolve around “core combat and destruction.” Future playtests will expand the scope and gather player feedback on more aspects like weapons, vehicles, and gadgets.

It is worth noting that invitations to playtests will be limited to a “few thousand” players that register for Battlefield Labs in Europe and North America. There are, however, plans to expand this audience to more territories as well.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed in February that the next Battlefield game is in development, and is targeting a launch before April 2026. This would fall in line with rumours from last year indicating that the next Battlefield game might be coming out in October 2025.

Considering the fact that the game is still quite early in development, however, it is entirely possible that the launch window will get pushed back if more time is needed by the development team.

Need for Speed developer Criterion is also seemingly taking a big role in the development of the new Battlefield. EA executive Vince Zampella had revealed last month that Criterion is working on the Battlefield game for now.

“The Need for Speed team at Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield,” he said. “As a company, it was important to us to take the last year to listen to our Need for Speed community and use their feedback to create content for Unbound.”

While concrete details on Battlefield are currently sparse, rumours from back in September 2024 have indicated that the game might feature a campaign set in the late 2020s. The story of the upcoming game is rumoured to revolve around conflicts between a private military group and NATO, and will take place in different locations all over the world.

According to Wilson, the next Battlefield is set to launch in fiscal year 2026, which runs from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. Given that most new Battlefield releases target year-end release windows, that may suggest a launch sometime in the final months of this year. Leaks claimed about a year ago that the game was targeting an October 2025 release, and it sounds like that might still be the plan behind-the-scenes.

EA recently announced a new community testing program for the next Battlefield, stating it wants the community to “play a key role in the future” of the franchise. Read more on that through here.

As recently as 2023, it looked like Criterion was ramping up development on the next Need for Speed. However, later that very year, it was announced that the studio had been drafted to work on Battlefield instead (again).

Now, speaking with Eurogamer, EA exec Vince Zampella – who’s currently overseeing the entire Battlefield franchise – has said that Criterion is currently busy with Battlefield. That said, the studio will eventually return to Need for Speed, which, Zampella says, it intends to bring back in “new and interesting ways.”

“The Need for Speed team at Criterion are joining their colleagues working on Battlefield,” he said. “As a company, it was important to us to take the last year to listen to our Need for Speed community and use their feedback to create content for Unbound.

“With an increased understanding of what our players want in a Need for Speed experience, we plan to bring the franchise back in new and interesting ways.”

As Zampella mentioned, in 2024, Need for Speed Unbound received an additional year of post-launch content that added new vehicles, events, modes, customization options, and more.

As for Battlefield, EA has announced Battlefield Labs, a testing initiative which aims to make the community more involved in providing critical feedback for the in-development project. Read more on that through here.

Sign-ups are available now with the promise of testing “almost” everything, though some of it may be a work-in-progress. “To ensure that your feedback has impact, players will experience, under NDA, different pieces of an unfinished puzzle so we have time to incorporate your feedback into the final product.”

The next Battlefield is in pre-alpha (with the first gameplay revealed at the tail-end of the video below). Though the team has been “tirelessly” playtesting, the feedback from Battlefield Labs will “supercharge our development as we strive to hit that perfect note between form, function, and feel.”

Testing will initially begin on “core combat and destruction” before moving to weapon, vehicle and gadget feedback. It will all come together within various maps and modes including Conquest and Breakthrough. However, the initiaive is also meant to “explore new ideas” and improve aspects like Classes to “create deeper more strategic play.”

Invites will be limited to a “few thousand” participants in Europe and North America, though this will expand to “tens of thousands” more in other territories.

“Regardless of your level of participation, we want all Battlefield fans to be a part of the process. We’ll be posting work-in-progress public updates from our community team, where you will hear directly from developers at Battlefield Studios.”

When will we hear more about the next Battlefield, currently rumored to target an October 2025 launch? Electronic Arts says there will be “ample opportunity to play and converse around the next Battlefield ahead of its launch” and that “This is just the beginning.” As always, stay tuned for more updates.

The playtests are allegedly for multiplayer and the free-to-play battle royale mode helmed by Ripple Effect. All this seemingly ties into the Battlefield Community Test Environment’s return, which could be tomorrow’s announcement. Regardless, stay tuned for further updates.

The next Battlefield lacks an official title or release window, though reports indicate an October 2025 launch. However, it’s attempting to recapture the series’ success after the disastrous launch of Battlefield 2042. These include a return to a modern-day setting, 64-player maps and Classes (not Specialists). The platforms have yet to be confirmed, but Electronic Arts “would love” a Nintendo Switch 2 version.

Rumors claim the game will launch with 45 weapons and “around” 10 multiplayer maps, alongside a “significant overhaul” to destruction. The option to transport downed allies is also reportedly included.

Tune in tomorrow at 5PM CET / 8AM PDT for more on the upcoming #Battlefield community testing program. pic.twitter.com/2uUHBrEnK9

— Battlefield (@Battlefield) February 2, 2025

Henderson claims the next Battlefield is set in the late 2020s, with its campaign set to tell the story of a private military group’s conflict against NATO. The campaign will be set across multiple different locations, with Gibraltar being what was shown in the recently released concept art (which you can view above), and the US being where Ripple Effect Studios’ rumoured free-to-play battle royale experience will be set. The battle royale experience will allegedly be tied to the mainline game, similar to Call of Duty: Warzone.

Where the mainline title’s multiplayer is concerned, the report claims the next Battlefield will launch with 45 different weapon types, while DICE is also targeting “around 10” multiplayer maps. Additionally, though it’s unknown if Battlefield 4’s Levelotion will be returning, the report does claim that the game will feature a “significant overhaul” for the destruction mechanics.

As part of that overhaul, the game is allegedly also set to feature caliber-based destruction similar to Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Siege, which means different caliber weapons will cause different levels of environmental destruction. Meanwhile, new movement options are also reportedly being introduced, such as being able to pick up and move downed players.

Where the game’s name is concerned, the report claims the development team has been conduction “mass surveys” with the community for a year or so as it tries to decide whether to call the game Battlefield 6 or simply Battlefield.

As per prior reports, the next Battlefield is targeting an October 2025 release. Recently, EA’s Vince Zampella said the company “would love to see” the upcoming shooter on Nintendo’s currently unannounced next-gen console. Read more on that through here.

With the success of the Switch in mind, however, can we expect the company to pay greater attention to its successor? For instance, will the next Battlefield launch for the Nintendo Switch 2, or whatever else it ends up being called?

Series boss Vince Zampella was asked that question by IGN, and though he unsurprisingly did not officially confirm anything, he did say that EA “would love to see” the next Battlefield on Switch.

“I mean, since [Switch 2] isn’t announced and it doesn’t exist, I can’t really comment on that,” he said. “But I would say absolutely, Nintendo, along with Microsoft and Sony are great partners for us, are important to us on our business at EA, at Respawn, would love to see it. We don’t have anything to announce, but is there a world? Sure. We love them as partners. They’ve been great to us. I love the [Switch].”

In the same interview, Zampella also confirmed that the next Battlefield game will feature a modern-day setting. The game will also revert to 64-player maps, and will not be bringing back Battlefield 2042’s Specialists. Read more on that through here.