EA are not giving up on Battlefield after the catastrophic release of 2042. They are going to try again, but this time they are going in a new direction. A new job ad has revealed that they are looking for devs with open world experience...
Battlefield 2042 did a lot wrong. Far too much for us to possibly list here. But there was a common theme among many complaints: The devs had seemingly forgotten what made the franchise great in their efforts to "revolutionize".
So what can they do to save the franchise? We heard earlier in the year about their plans to focus on environmental destruction, which as I wrote at the time felt desperate; they need more than a gimmick, and then we heard rumors about a possible BR.
Although the Battle Royale genre is losing popularity, just look at the state of Apex, a new job ad asking for "open world experience" seems to corroborate the rumors. If not a BR, then some other form of open world shooter gameplay, but they already tried and failed to make an extraction shooter, so we're certain it won't be that.
Next Battlefield Game To Feature Open World Environments
EA are hiring for the next Battlefield game, and in their latest job ad for a Senior Environment Artist, they explicitly mention that "open world experience" is a plus. We have screenshotted the job ad for you before it is taken offline:
EA have yet to comment on the matter, and at the time of writing (August 13, 2024) the job ad remains online.
Of course, an open world environment can take many forms in a shooter, so it's too early for us to predict the experience they are trying to design. But, a BR certainly seems at least more likely than an extraction shooter. Perhaps it is something wholly different, like an open world environment for the campaign, á la Halo Infinite, but this also seems unlikely; Infinite's campaign was not well-received.
What do you think about Battlefield going in open world direction? Does it excite you, and do you think it will be enough to save the franchise?