Next Battlefield Will Return to Modern Setting, Bring Back 64-Player Maps and Classes, Says EA

Battlefield, Electronic Arts' Call of Duty competitor, hasn't been seen since the last instalment in the first-person military shooter franchise launched in 2021. Battlefield 2042 faced backlash from players over its multiplayer ‘Specialist' system and lack of a single-player campaign. Nearly three years on, details about the next game in the long-running series have finally emerged, with EA confirming the next Battlefield game will return to a modern setting.

After exploring the near-future setting in Battlefield 2042 and World War I and World War II time periods in Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V, respectively, EA is going back to a modern setting for the next Battlefield title, an IGN report revealed Tuesday. The company confirmed the details to the publication and released the first concept art from the game. EA, however, did not provide details about the game's official title and launch timeline.

Next Battlefield to bring back classes, 64-player maps 

EA's intent is to return to what it's good at, with Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Organization Vince Zampella referring to Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 in a conversation with IGN. "I mean, if you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it's that Battlefield 3... Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern. And I think we have to get back to the core of what Battlefield is and do that amazingly well, and then we'll see where it goes from there,” Zampella told the publication.

“But I think for me, it's that peak of Battlefield-ness is in that Battlefield 3 and 4 days. So I think it's nostalgic for players, for me, for the teams even. Those are kind of the heyday...although I would say 1942 also."

Zampella also talked about narrowing down the focus for multiplayer maps on the next Battlefield title. Battlefield 2042 launched with much-maligned 128-player maps to replace its popular 64-player online matches. The decision, however, was not well received among players. The game's ‘Specialist' system, that replaced traditional classes with ability-based characters, was also controversial. The executive said that these unpopular choices would not be coming back in the next Battlefield game.

“We're testing everything around what's the most fun. So like you said, the maps, once they get to a certain scale, become different. It's a different play space, and I think you have to design around that. So we are designing something that is more akin to previous Battlefields,” he said. “I'd rather have nice, dense, really nice, well-designed play spaces. Some of them are really good. I can't wait for you to see some of them,” Zampella added.

The executive confirmed that traditional classes will be returning in the next instalment. “Not everybody liked it, but you got to try things. It didn't work. It didn't fit. Specialist will not be coming back,” he said. “So classes are kind of at the core of Battlefield, and we're going back to that.”

Battlefield concept art

Official concept art for the next Battlefield game
Photo Credit: EA/ IGN

The next Battlefield title is under development at multiple internal studios at EA. There's no release timeline for the shooter yet, but Zampella said that EA was “play testing the game every week,” with plans to launch a community program in 2025. A likely beta run would hint at a 2025 release for the game.

Aside from the modern setting and the return of 64-player maps and traditional classes, EA has not yet revealed any gameplay details for its next flagship shooter. The concept art revealed Tuesday, however, hints at aerial and ship combat and a coastal map.

The official image features what seems like a dense European coastal city, with wildfires or a volcanic eruption in its background, hinting at natural or man-made disasters featuring in the game. The city in the image is heavily bombarded and Battlefield's trademark environmental destruction will likely feature prominently in the upcoming title.