EA talked a lot about the future of Battlefield during its latest earnings call, further discussing its potential plans to make certain elements of future installments in the series free-to-play.
Battlefield 2042's launch is fast approaching and EA had the chance to hype that during its Q1 FY2022 earnings call this week. Everything EA has shown off so far indicates the next chapter in the Battlefield series will usher in a new era. No campaign, no battle royale despite what other games have done, just multiplayer features that will fill with bots to make sure you never enter an empty lobby.
It will have been three years since the last Battlefield by the time 2042 launches later this year should everything go to plan. That's a little longer than usual between Battlefield games, and when EA CEO Andrew Wilson was asked if the series will return to a new game every other year, he steered the conversation towards thinking of Battlefield as a live service title from here on in.
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“You should understand that this really forms the foundation for what we believe the future of a live service around Battlefield is,” Wilson explained. The mode that has taken center stage so far is All-Out War, a 128-player multiplayer mode on new-gen consoles that, if Wilson's comments are anything to go by, will change and evolve over time rather than be replaced by an entirely new game two to three years from now.
Wilson goes on to add that the Battlefield series will start to venture into areas it has previously bypassed. Not just mobile, which has already been discussed, but he also mentioned the possibility of some Battlefield elements being free-to-play in the future. “Over time [Battlefield] will include a mobile launch, will include some free to enter components and really change the nature of what happens from launch to launch,” Wilson said.
This isn't the first time EA has hinted Battlefield could be free-to-play in the future, but it is the first time it has been openly talked about. In a survey sent to Battlefield players prior to 2042's reveal, one question asked whether people would like to see free-to-play elements and battle passes in the game's future. Battlefield 2042 is slated to launch for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on October 22, 2021.
Source: VG247
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