The cat is finally out of the bag. After much rumors and speculation, EA has released a press release today announcing that Ridgeline Games will be the studio responsible for creating new narrative-driven experiences in the Battlefield franchise. The studio will be led by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto and a number of industry veterans from around the world will be on board for creating a new narrative Battlefield campaign.
“It is a great honor to have the opportunity to collaborate with DICE and Ripple Effect and lead the charge on expanding the narrative, storytelling and character development opportunities in the Battlefield series,”
We first got to hear about EA’s next plans for Battlefield from industry insider Tom Henderson when he revealed some information on Twitter about the pre-production phase of a new Battlefield game. According to Henderson, this new game is going to have a modern/slightly futuristic setting, and it might be a complete reboot, not just a new entry. It seems the main goal of this new studio (which goes in line with Tom Henderson’s speculations) is to expand on the already mapped world, meaning the developer could expand on already established setting elements and the characters.
Ridgeline Games positions itself as a studio focused on making everyone’s voice valued and heard, and this is exactly what Marcus Lehto has been doing for some time now. On his personal Twitter, the veteran developer has been asking fans for their opinions about the things they liked the most in the Battlefield franchise in detail. From locations to weapons and vehicles, and even their favorite story campaigns and control schemes, indicating the studio will be taking fan feedback seriously.
It also seems the new Battlefield will continue to use the Frostbite engine. An unknown version of Frostbite engine was used in Battlefield 2042, and the upcoming Dead Space Remake will supposedly use this engine as well. Frostbite is notorious for causing many development problems with many projects due to its complexity, and because the last Battlefield was developed in only 15 months, the developers did not have enough time to properly get to grips with the tech. But having a team of shooter veterans on this new project is certainly reassuring.
Lehto is the man who designed Master Chief and made Halo what it is today. According to an earlier report by Gamespot, there are bound to be more games and experiences in store for Battlefield down the road, but they will all be part of the new connected universe EA is trying to create. The main priority for the studio now is to join other studios at EA like DICE and Ripple Effect in helping Battlefield reach its full potential. This step is considered to be the first in a “long-term plan” that includes expanding on Battlefield 2042 and beyond.
