Battlefield series takes Respawn CEO Vince Zampella as new franchise head

Battlefield 2042 seemed to be in a tough spot after a poorly received launch, but EA continues to double down on the franchise. According to today’s GameSpot report, many significant changes coming to the Battlefield IP have been highlighted. These range from the concept of a connected universe to in-house leadership changes, all of which will undoubtedly influence Battlefield 2042’s direction moving forward.

While the departure of DICE’s head of design was announced last week, another major studio figure is also leaving. DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson is leaving the studio in favor of other opportunities, leaving his role to Respawn Entertainment CEO Vince Zampella.

This new leadership is a small part of a larger vision EA has for the intellectual property. The publishing giant wants to craft a connected Battlefield universe across multiple projects, which may or may not be full-fledged games, while simultaneously supporting and evolving Battlefield 2042. The aim isn’t to replace Battlefield 2042 — rather, EA wants this universe to be supplementary to the main game. Details on this initiative are vague for now, but we do know EA has multiple studios working on something relating to Battlefield.

What shape those experiences take remains to be seen, but there are a few interesting tidbits of information. Most notably, former Halo designer Marcus Lehto is forming a new studio to create a storytelling experience that takes place within the Battlefield universe. Battlefield Portal fans will also be interested in learning that the developers of Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode are making something new within the Battlefield 2042 universe. Those projects are on the backburner though, as both teams are currently focused on helping DICE improve Battlefield 2042.