The First Look At The Next Battlefield Game Comes Alongside The Announcement Of New Community Initiative Battlefield Labs

EA has released a first-look behind-the-scenes video detailing the next instalment in the Battlefield franchise while announcing a new community-driven test initiative called Battlefield Labs.

This five-minute video introduces us to Battlefield Studios, the four development teams working collaboratively to create the next Battlefield title. The desire to do something “bigger and better than ever before” apparently necessitated multiple studios coming together, leading to DICE handling the bulk of the multiplayer, Motive handling multiplayer maps and single-player content, Criterion working on the game’s campaign, and Ripple Effect working on opening Battlefield up to “a whole group of new players.”

Most of the video focuses on introducing each of the studios and what they’re working on, but it also unveils Battlefield Labs. Bringing players in early to test the game and provide feedback, Battlefield Labs is a community initiative that will allow the dev teams to carve out specific portions of the game to hand over to players for stress testing and feedback, most likely in hopes of avoiding the backlash surrounding the changes made in Battlefield 2024.

The video is very development-heavy, but it does leave us with a tiny taste of what’s to come at the end. The final ten seconds of the clip shows pre-alpha footage of the next Battlefield, depicting a far more boots-on-the-ground approach than what we got in 2042. Tanks, RPGs taking out entire buildings, and lots of destructible environments are crammed into this little slice, so it’s feeling very Battlefield already.

While players in Europe and North America can now sign up via the website, Battlefield Labs isn’t available in Australia yet. However, the page does state that the initiative will expand over time, so we’ll keep our eyes locked on it for now.

You can watch the Introducing Battlefield Labs video here:

Battlefield 2042 was…divisive, to say the least. I have been a staunch defender of the game, but I’ll acknowledge that it had and has its fair share of issues. Pre-release, I enjoyed the gameplay suite and gave it an 8 in my review, but then things fell apart when the game was released into the wild. Server issues, missing features, and unwanted alterations to the Battlefield formula soured many on the game.

Well over a year later, I was back to defend 2042 after it was given a host of updates and patches, turning it into the squad shooter that fans deserve. You may agree, you may think I’m an idiot, but either way, 2042 was not the homerun that EA was hoping it would be. Here’s hoping that the next Battlefield, with the help of Battlefield Labs, will have a smoother launch and better reception.

What are your thoughts on the Battlefield series? Are you burnt from 2042 or willing to give the next game a chance? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.