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Battlefield boss says the next game is ditching Specialists and returning to modern day because 3 and 4 were the 'pinnacle of Battlefield'
EA has revealed the first concept art for the next Battlefield game, confirming a modern-day setting and a return to the core gameplay elements that made Battlefield 3 and 4 successful, including traditional classes and 64-player matches.
EA has been talking up the next Battlefield game for some time now, and while we still haven't gotten a proper reveal, the devs have now unveiled the first piece of concept art for the game and confirmed it's returning to a modern day setting.
"If you look back to the peak or the pinnacle of Battlefield, it's that Battlefield 3... Battlefield 4 era where everything was modern," Respawn and Battlefield boss Vince Zampella tells IGN alongside the reveal of the new concept art. "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 1942 also."
Zampella says the game will stick to the 64 player approach, and notes that the controversial Specialists system from 2042 will not be returning. "Not everybody liked it, but you got to try things," Zampella says of the Specialist system. "It didn't work. It didn't fit. Specialists will not be coming back. Classes are kind of at the core of Battlefield, and we're going back to that."
The last entry in the FPS series ended up being something of a punching bag for longtime fans, though like many ongoing games, Battlefield 2042 eventually followed a long road to redemption. But while Zampella argues that 2042 wasn't a "failure of a game," the devs have no intention of repeating its mistakes here. "We want it to be good out of the gate."
The devs are already hosting weekly internal playtests for the upcoming game, and they intend to begin a public playtest program next year.
EA has spoken about the future of Battlefield in broad terms in the past, noting that the series is a "meaningful part" of the publisher's future. It's also looking like "single-player experiences" will once again be part of the Battlefield franchise.