Home News First Official Look at New Battlefield Gameplay as EA Reveals Battlefield Labs

First Official Look at New Battlefield Gameplay as EA Reveals Battlefield Labs

Author : Brooklyn Update : Feb 22,2025

EA Unveils Battlefield Labs and Battlefield Studios: A New Era for the Franchise

EA has offered the first official peek at the upcoming Battlefield game, coinciding with announcements about player testing and its expanded development structure. A short pre-alpha gameplay snippet is featured in a video introducing Battlefield Labs, a program seeking playtesters.

Simultaneously, EA revealed Battlefield Studios, a collective of four studios collaborating on the new title: DICE (Stockholm), Motive, Ripple Effect, and Criterion.

DICE (Sweden): Developing the multiplayer component.
Motive: Creating single-player missions and multiplayer maps.
Ripple Effect: Focusing on attracting new players to the franchise.
Criterion: Developing the single-player campaign.

The new Battlefield marks a return to a traditional linear single-player campaign, a departure from the multiplayer-only Battlefield 2042.

EA describes the development as entering a "critical" phase and is actively seeking player feedback to prioritize improvements before launch. Battlefield Labs will test various aspects of the game, though not all elements will be finalized. Participation requires signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Battlefield Labs is designed to bring in playtesters for the new Battlefield. Concept art credit: Electronic Arts.

EA emphasizes the game's progress, even in its pre-alpha stage, and highlights the importance of player feedback in refining combat, destruction, weapons, vehicles, gadgets, maps, modes, and squad play. Conquest and Breakthrough modes are confirmed, along with a focus on enhancing the class system (Assault, Engineer, Support, and Recon) for strategic gameplay.

Initially, a limited number of playtesters (a few thousand) in Europe and North America will be invited, with plans to expand to tens of thousands more globally.

It's noteworthy that while EA is investing heavily in the new Battlefield with four studios, Ridgeline Games, a studio working on a standalone single-player Battlefield title, was closed last year.

September saw the release of concept art and details confirming a return to a modern setting after previous installments set in World War I, World War II, and the near future. The concept art hinted at ship-to-ship and helicopter combat, along with natural disaster elements like wildfires.

Vince Zampella (Head of Respawn & Group GM for EA Studios Organization) cited Battlefield 3 and 4 as inspirations, aiming to recapture the core elements that defined those titles' success.

The shift back to a modern setting and the abandonment of Battlefield 2042's Specialists and large-scale maps reflect a response to criticism of the previous game. The new Battlefield will utilize 64 players per map.

The high stakes are evident, with EA CEO Andrew Wilson describing the project as one of EA's "most ambitious," reflecting the significant investment and the commitment expressed by the Battlefield Studios tagline: "We’re all in on Battlefield." Zampella reiterated the aim to regain player trust while expanding the Battlefield universe to attract a broader audience.

EA has yet to announce a release date, platforms, or the official title for the new Battlefield.