The next Battlefield is a return to the "peak era" of Battlefields 3 and 4, with a modern setting and smaller headcounts

rockpapershotgun.com:

Having shot up the near-future in Battlefield 2042, DICE and EA are using a modern-day setting with the next instalment of their military FPS series. According to EA studios group general manager and Respawn chief Vince Zampella, the new, currently untitled shooter will be one of those "back to basics" sequels that tries to rebottle the lightning of Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 - these being the "peak" Battlefield games, in Zampella's view.

All this comes care of an interview with IGN, who have also bagged the first piece of concept art, above. Good job, Ian Games! The artwork shows an urban riverside landscape covered in explosions, streaking missile smoke and raging wildfires. We can see helicopters and warships in the river, and the whole thing sports an orangey-dark colour scheme which, as IGN notes, recalls the key art for Battlefields 3 and 4.

"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," Zampella comments. "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. 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 [Battlefield] 1942 also."

The ungenerous reading here is that "getting back to the core" is marketing speak for "getting the hell away from Battlefield 2042", which has gone down poorly with players for a host of reasons ranging from its 128-player engagements being unfocused, to its "specialist" system being an ill-advised leap into customisable hero shooter territory. It's been heavily revised and updated since its 2021 launch, but has yet to enjoy any kind of serious resurgence. In the interview, Zampella defended the work of the Battlefield 2042 team while acknowledging a few of the complaints.

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