Electronic Arts’ Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Wilson, said during a recent earnings call that it “probably makes sense” for the Battlefield franchise to have free-to-play components in the future, but that’s not the company’s focus right now.
Since the successful release of Call of Duty: Warzone, numerous rumors and reports have surfaced suggesting that EA plans to replicate its rival’s success by adding free-to-play elements to Battlefield as early as the upcoming Battlefield 2042. However, so far, there has been no indication that any of the announced modes will be free-to-play, and while EA hasn’t ruled the possibility out, it looks like it’ll be a while before we see any free-to-play elements in Battlefield.
Wilson added that DICE’s priority was to reinvent the franchise first. A transcript of his statement is as follows (edited for clarity):
I think when we look at our Battlefield franchise today, we do so with the knowledge that it probably makes sense to have a free-to-play component to that overall ecosystem in the future. Job number one was truly a reinvention of the action shooter category and I think that’s what they have sought to do. And that’s what they’ve achieved through this 128-player multiplayer, deeper engagement and creativity in portal mode, and innovative new modes in and around the game. I think the next page of that is going to be the launch of Battlefield Mobile. And then as we continue to expand that, that in itself will serve tens of millions of players. I think as we think about further expansion over time, free-to-play will make sense for the franchise, but it’s not the focus right now.
Battlefield 2042 will release on November 12th.
[Source: Seeking Alpha]
