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Battlefield 2042 had quite the rocky start when it launched just a few weeks ago, mainly regarding bugs that plagued the experience for many players. Recent updates, such as Update 3, which was revealed yesterday, indicate that EA is committed to improving the 2042 experience. Now, new shake-ups at the company provide further evidence that EA is doubling down on Battlefield as a core franchise.
In a new report by GameSpot, these shake-ups and changes are detailed, including news that Respawn Entertainment lead Vince Zampella, the person currently in charge of Apex Legends and other studio projects, is now the head of Battlefield. In this new position, Zampella will manage both his Respawn projects and serve as the overall boss of Battlefield.
“He creates culture-defining entertainment that resonates beyond games,” EA COO Laura Miele told GameSpot. “We are bringing one of the most influential and talented individuals in entertainment to a franchise that is ready to be unleashed into the modern era of gaming. It’s an extraordinary inflection point in game history. His ability to lead studios and bring developers together so they can create world-class experiences is unmatched. I believe the structure, process, and vision he brings will enable Battlefield to excel like never before. No one knows shooters and live services better than Vince.”
That’s not all, though, as GameSpot’s report reveals that former Halo designer Marcus Lehto, who just opened a new EA studio back in October, is “building a new development team in Seattle focused on injecting more storytelling into the Battlefield universe.” It also reveals that Ripple Effect, the studio behind 2042’s Portal mode, is working on a new experience in the 2042 universe. EA told GameSpot that in the immediate future, DICE, Ripple Effect, and Lehto’s new studio will work to expand and improve the current 2042 experience. In fact, EA developer lead Byron Beede said the work of Lehto’s team will likely show up in later seasons of 2042 and beyond.
GameSpot writes that “the other Battlefield games and experiences in the works are meant to serve as extensions, to a degree, of the new Battlefield universe that EA is trying to create,” noting that what those other games and experiences in the works are is currently unknown to the public.
All of these announcements, which include word that DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson is leaving the company, are centralized around EA’s reveal that it’s creating a Battlefield universe. While some Battlefield games and stories are connected, most probably wouldn’t call those connections a “universe.” Battlefield’s biggest competitor, the Call of Duty series, recently made the jump from separate games to its own semi-connected universe by way of its popular battle royale mode, Warzone. Perhaps EA is looking to follow suit, building out its own type of universe that allows for connected stories, gameplay experiences, and more.
This universe will span multiple games and offerings, according to GameSpot’s report, and each will be developed by different studios across EA’s portfolio.
We’re excited to learn more about what this new Battlefield universe looks like and to see what changes, improvements, and new experiences come to 2042, but for now, we wait. While waiting, check out Game Informer’s Battlefield 2042 review and then check out the hundreds of fixes coming to 2042 in Update 3.
[Source: GameSpot]
Are you excited about this new Battlefield universe? Let us know in the comments below!