A new report reveals the publisher’s gigantic expectations for Battlefield 6 – and problems with the development of the campaign.
Battlefield 6 is finally set to be officially unveiled in summer 2025 and released in the following six to eight months.
Numerous leaks have fans cautiously optimistic – mainly because the gameplay is strongly reminiscent of the good old days of BF3 and BF4.
A detailed report by Ars Technica on the development history of the new installment has now brought to light a number of problems, including the incredible pressure to succeed.
However, this goal seems incredibly ambitious, to say the least.
An EA employee commented: “Battlefield has never achieved such numbers before; BF2042 reached around 22 million players in the same period.”
While Battlefield 2042 was certainly not the most popular installment and is widely considered a major disappointment, even Battlefield 1 – clearly the most commercially successful installment in the series – only reached between 30 and 40 million players.
However, it seems that the company wants to recoup the development costs of BF6, which have grown to well over $400 million, quickly and with all its might.
Numbers that no one believes
EA is therefore more than doubling its expectations – but according to the report, only “very few people” at multiplayer developer DICE really believe this target can be achieved. An anonymous employee says:
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Nothing in our market research suggests that we can even come close to these figures.
For comparison: Fortnite, one of the most played games and largest entertainment products on the planet, reached around 600 million registered accounts after eight years. However, Fortnite is also free to play, which removes the payment barrier.
Single-player problems after studio closure
A key problem child in the development of Battlefield 6 seems to be the single-player mode, from which the first scenes were recently leaked.
According to this, development started almost from scratch in 2024 after the closure of Ridgeline Studios (which was originally responsible for the campaign under the direction of Halo creator Marcus Lehto).
EA studios Criterion (Need for Speed) and Motive (Dead Space 2023) were tasked with the reboot, but fell far behind: “In spring 2025, the campaign is the only mode of Battlefield 6 that has not reached alpha status,” according to the report.
There is even speculation that parts of the campaign will have to be cut in order to meet the planned release date – although, according to reports, the story was only supposed to be around six hours long anyway.
More Battlefield problems?
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The report also lists other areas that need work. Here is a brief overview:
- EA’s usual robust budget, staffing, and risk analyses were reportedly not carried out when the game went into full production.
- Missed deadlines could result in either a large day-one patch or features and modes being postponed to later seasons.
- Cultural differences between American and European teams, especially between the Swedish developers at DICE and the US management, are said to have led to tensions.
- The development was reportedly characterized in part by “exceptional stress and long working hours,” which resulted in individual employees being absent for months at a time.
In addition to the campaign from Motive/Criterion and the multiplayer from DICE, Battlefield 6 will also feature a battle royale mode developed by Ripple Effect (BF1, BF5), which, according to rumors, will be released as a free-to-play spin-off – apparently mirroring CoD with Warzone.
EA wants to avoid the problems of BF2042 this time around by allowing fans to play and provide feedback early on via Battlefield Labs. The test program started in February 2025.