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As part of its major overhaul to the Battlefield development teams, EA also says that they are looking to create a "connected Battlefield universe." The major publisher wants to expand upon the franchise much like Activision has done with the Call of Duty franchise. Taken at face value, this could indicate that EA wants to have multiple studios create Battlefield games and experiences on a more regular basis.
The new overseer for the Battlefield franchise, Respawn Entertainment co-founder Vince Zampella, says that the idea isn't to replace Battlefield 2042 but to create a "connected Battlefield universe." He expands upon this statement in an interview with GameSpot, but does not go into specifics.
"This is an 'And' strategy in many ways," he said. "We will continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042, and we'll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an awesome array of experiences for our players. In this universe, the world is interconnected with shared characters and narrative. This universe is also built with our community as we harness the power of Portal and user generated content that puts creativity in the hands of our players."
There is a Battlefield Mobile coming from Industrial Toys. There is also the possibility of a new free-to-play Battlefield title in the future, though nothing is set in stone on that front.
We at least know that Ripple Effect, a new Seattle-based studio founded by Halo veteran Marcus Lehto, and DICE themselves are continuing to work on the Battlefield franchise in some capacity. Lehto's new studio will focus on the world-building and narrative for the franchise. Ripple Effect is at least continuing to work on Battlefield Portal and possibly an entirely new Battlefield title.
"We intend to build a Battlefield universe, one with multiple projects that are interconnected with the player at the center," Zampella said. "We plan to grow Battlefield and meet players where they play through various experiences and business models, including our upcoming Battlefield Mobile coming in 2022 from Alex Seropian and Industrial Toys."
