EA Dice is building a brand-new team, which will be dedicated to bringing single-player Battlefield games to life. The Battlefield franchise has never been particularly known for its campaigns, and this move signals an intent to change that.
The latest release in the franchise, Battlefield 2042, lacked any sort of single-player campaign, and was poorly received by fans. The game was missing plenty of features at launch that were staples of the Battlefield franchise. The effort was rewarded accordingly, with EA outright refusing to report Battlefield 2042 sales numbers at investor meetings after its release. It's been a rocky few years for the franchise, which once was seen as the main competitor to the Call of Duty franchise.
The report that EA DICE is building a new single-player team comes from GamesIndustry.biz, and also claims the team is being created to support Ridgeline Games. With the involvement of Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, Ridgeline Games was first created near the end of 2022 to create a new narrative campaign set in the Battlefield campaign. It represents a big change in direction for the franchise, with its selling point being large-scale multiplayer action. Even recent games that have featured campaigns, such as Battlefield 5, have only featured smaller episodic single-player portions, with the multiplayer being given the bulk of attention from the developer.
While there has been no news on the development of Ridgeline Games' single-player Battlefield title, speculation could now run rife with EA DICE determining that help is necessary. Ultimately, if this is due to overambition, this can only be a good thing for players. With the small scale of recent Battlefield single-player portions, it will be a relief for players to finally have a full-length Battlefield campaign to experience. Until the game arrives, players will have to endure through this turbulent moment for the series, with Battlefield Mobile also ceasing development with the studio closing down.
While Battlefield is confirmed to continue, the franchise is at an important point in its history. Its popularity is waning, with the Battle Royale now King among casual shooter fans. There were rumors of a Battlefield Battle Royale, but they're yet to come to fruition. While a solid Battlefield single-player experience may not be a huge selling point, it could definitely be the perfect way to gain positive word-of-mouth for a franchise that desperately needs it. In the meantime, Battlefield 2042 continues to receive a constant stream of post-launch support, as EA DICE tries to bring the game to the state expected at launch.
Source: Games Industry