EA wants the next Battlefield game to be a hero shooter, claims insider

This would be a large departure from the series’ roots.

Jon Yelenic
December 3, 2021
Battlefield 2042 News

Image via Electronic Arts

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EA allegedly plans to make the next major Battlefield game a hero shooter, claimed industry insider Tom Henderson on Friday. Battlefield 2042, which introduced specialists — playable characters each equipped with their own unique gameplay abilities — was supposedly meant to serve as a “stepping stone” towards this rumored project, the insider said.

“The next Battlefield title is scoped as a hero shooter of sorts – It’s not a removal of specialists, but an enhancement of them,” wrote Henderson on Twitter. The insider advised folks to take his claims with a grain of salt, as plans for in-development games are always open to change. However, he also opined that he didn’t foresee this aspect of the project changing.

It should be said to take with a grain of salt, of course, but given that I heard about this stuff last week and with all of the announcements the past couple of days, it makes perfect sense.

BF 2042 did change direction early on, but I can't see them changing it?
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) December 3, 2021

This news follows Thursday’s big shakeup at DICE and EA, which saw several major players within both companies move positions. It was reported that DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson would be leaving, while Respawn’s Vince Zampella would be the new head of the Battlefield franchise. Additionally, it was claimed Marcus Lehto — a key figure in the development of the Halo series — would head up a new studio in Seattle intended to “[expand] the narrative, storytelling, and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series.”

Outside of the Bad Company subseries, Battlefield has rarely been known for its characters, much less its campaigns or storytelling. DICE’s choice to go with personality-driven specialists over traditional classes in Battlefield 2042 previously prompted criticism from fans, who longed for the franchise to return to its roots. Should Henderson’s claim prove accurate, that doesn’t seem likely to happen anytime soon.