DICE, Criterion, and Ripple Effect Studios are working hard to make the next Battlefield game the success that 2042 wasn’t. Publisher Electronic Arts has previously suggested a 2025 release for the next mainline installment.
Now, insider Tom Henderson said the tentative launch window has been set to October 2025. The report also reveals that a free-to-play Battle Royale experience is being crafted by Ripple Effect Studios. It will be modeled after Call of Duty Warzone, which works in tandem with the premium yearly release of Call of Duty. Two modes are currently in preparation: a classic Battle Royale affair and a Gauntlet mode where teams of players are required to complete objectives. The team with the lowest score after an objective would be removed until only one is left standing.
Beyond that, the next Battlefield is said to be set in the near future (2025-2030). The developers are attempting a return to the roots of the IP with 64-player matches (Battlefield 2042 attempted to double the max player count), an emphasis on physics-based destruction, and the traditional class system.
Over time, DICE attempted to rectify some of those aspects in Battlefield 2042, too. For example, the Specialists available at launch were split into the four classic categories (Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon) as part of 2023’s class system rework.
Update 6.4 launches today and adds the Arkangel Directive, which includes a 24v24 mode called Control, where players take and hold rotating objectives to upload tactical telemetry, collect the most telemetry to command the region, and earn Ascension Points to purchase vehicles. Players can also look forward to an improvement in how persistent servers function for Battlefield Portal: even without an active Season, all Custom Experiences created within Battlefield Portal will now benefit from server persistence for two days. The developers also enhanced the directional gunner HUD and added new customization options.
Battlefield 2042’s Season 7 will be unveiled and launched in March.
