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

EA Unveils Battlefield Labs and Battlefield Studios: A Return to Form

EA has offered a first 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 accompanied the announcement, showcasing the progress of the new title. The video also highlighted Battlefield Studios, a collaborative effort uniting four EA studios: DICE (Stockholm), Motive, Ripple Effect, and Criterion.

Each studio has a specific role: DICE leads multiplayer development, Motive handles single-player missions and multiplayer maps, Ripple Effect focuses on attracting new players, and Criterion is responsible for the single-player campaign. This marks a return to a traditional single-player campaign after Battlefield 2042’s multiplayer-only approach.

Battlefield Labs will allow EA to gather crucial player feedback during a critical development phase. Testers will provide input on core gameplay elements, including combat, destruction, weapons, vehicles, gadgets, maps, modes, and squad play. Conquest and Breakthrough modes are confirmed for testing, along with refinements to the class system. Participation requires signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Initial testing will be limited to a few thousand players in Europe and North America, expanding later to tens of thousands more and 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 game will feature a modern setting, a departure from previous iterations set in World War I, World War II, and the near future. Concept art hints at ship-to-ship and helicopter combat, alongside natural disaster elements like wildfires.

The developers are aiming for a return to the core gameplay elements that defined Battlefield 3 and 4, addressing criticisms of Battlefield 2042, which initially faced negative reception due to features like Specialists and large-scale maps. The new game will revert to 64-player maps and eliminate Specialists.

EA's significant investment in the project, involving four studios, reflects the high stakes following Battlefield 2042's less-than-stellar launch. The goal is to recapture the trust of veteran players while expanding the Battlefield universe to attract a wider audience. EA has yet to announce a release date, platforms, or the official title.