Battlefield 6 Could Be More Of A "Live Service" Game Than Before

Electronic Arts has shared some new insight into Battlefield 6 ahead of its reveal in June. During an earnings call, EA management said the new game will learn more into the "live service" department, which is something EA is pushing more these days.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson says the company has a blueprint in mind for the new Battlefield game which is to launch it as a "AAA premium experience" that grows bigger over time with live service elements to help the game have "long-term engagement."

"We do have a blueprint, which is how do we start with our AAA premium experience that is truly innovative in its category, how do we build out live service for long-term engagement and then how do we think about modalities at play and business models to further extend our reach and penetration of that game on a global basis across platforms, across geographies, across business models," Wilson said on the earnings call (via SeekingAlpha). "And so you'll hear a lot more from us in the months ahead, but I would just--I would finish by saying we're really excited about Battlefield, everything I've seen in the game is spectacular. And I think it's going to be an amazing relaunch of that franchise this year and will lead us into an incredible live service for the future."

EA CFO Blake Jorgensen commented on Battlefield 6 as well, saying the game will deliver "many ways to play and let them play for a long time." The emphasis with Battlefield 6, it seems, is to make it even more of a live service game than the franchise already is.

"I think you'll see that and what we'll talk about in the future, it is an opportunity to extend the Battlefield experience for people because it is such an engaged community," he said.

It's no surprise to learn that Battlefield 6 will push deeper into live service, as EA has been focusing on growing this area of its business for some time. Just recently, EA announced that it made more than $4 billion from "live services," which include microtransactions, DLC, ads, subscriptions, and more.

Jorgensen also hyped up the Battlefield 6 reveal trailer, as well. Jorgensen said he recently saw an early look at it and he was so blown away that he could only describe it in words that aren't acceptable in polite company.

"I'd love to tell you what I said when I saw the trailer last week, but I can't because it would get censored. I think people are going to be really blown away. And I'll tell you on [PS5 and Xbox Series X|S], it is even more spectacular, but it will be great on either console."

As for Wilson, he said the four development teams working on the new Battlefield game are doing a great job and he's excited to share more details in June.

"What the team has been able to do in the context of next-generation consoles and epic scale battles, unbelievable player accounts, destruction in terms of those which is really incredible, and it's a very innovative and creative mode for the future of the franchise," he said.

Also during the call, Jorgensen spoke about Burnout developer Criterion's involvement in the new Battlefield, suggesting that the studio will lend its expertise in driving and flying elements to the new game. Jorgensen also said the team at Criterion is happy to be working on Battlefield as part of its continued cooperation and collaboration with DICE over the years across the Star Wars: Battlefront series and others.

"They are experts in driving, flying--the things that are really hard to do," he said. "And so, it’s not the first time that we pulled them into projects and they love it. They love to be able and we’ve tried to create a culture where people want to work together. And I think that's what you're seeing here versus some other idea that, well, something must be wrong. This is an opportunity to put talent in at the right time and we always are measuring how that might impact future schedules."

Battlefield 6, or whatever EA decides to call the game, will be announced in June and then presumably shown off again during EA Play Live 2021 in July. In other news, an EA representative has responded to fan frustration about the long wait for the game and its cross-gen nature.