In order to avoid another disaster at launch, extensive test runs are being carried out around the new Battlefield.
With the new part planned for next year 2025, the Battlefield series should return to its old glory and win back the hearts of the once so numerous fans. Extensive test runs in the run-up to the release should also help.
Background: The launch of Battlefield V in 2018 was anything but smooth, but the last part to date, Battlefield 2042, topped it off in 2021. The result: A number of shooter fans reoriented themselves and turned their backs on the Battlefield series.
EA and DICE want to do a lot of things better with the next part of the series. The approach for the latest shooter is a return to the franchise’s successful roots, with 64-player games in a modern setting. The four developer studios involved, DICE, Motive, Criterion and Ripple Effect, ultimately have to ensure that everything runs smoothly right from the start.
In order to avoid similar false starts like Battlefield V and Battlefield 2042 with numerous technical problems, the development studios involved are carrying out much larger amounts of test runs in advance. The aim is to collect a lot more data and player feedback so that necessary adjustments can be made before the release. According to insider Tom Henderson, these are the most extensive such playtests in the history of Battlefield.
According to sources concerned, playtests with external players will be carried out much more regularly than before. This includes smaller feedback sessions as well as large-scale technology tests with many players. The studios involved are also toying with the return of the Battlefield Community Test Environment.
EA and DICE seem to have learned from the mistakes of the past, at least for the moment, and are likely to involve the community in the new Battlefield more comprehensively and earlier – should Henderson be right with his information. The approach is to be welcomed in this respect; we will see whether it is fruitful in the coming months until the release.
EA and DICE have announced “Circle of Hell,” a new, limited-time event in Battlefield 2042.
