Next Battlefield game hits financial trouble, raising concerns for fans
The project is already being called the most problematic and most expensive in the history of the franchise (photo: Concept Art)
The next installment in the legendary Battlefield shooter series from EA may be released in the spring of 2026, but project development is reportedly facing serious difficulties, according to Engadget.
What is known
According to Ars Technica, the internal team is dealing with inflated expectations from management and unrealistic goals. Within the company, the game is referred to by the codename Glacier.
Sources say that EA initially hoped the new Battlefield would be able to compete with giants like Call of Duty and Fortnite, and even set the ambitious target of reaching an audience of 100 million players.
However, the developers themselves consider that unlikely. For comparison, Battlefield 2042 managed to attract only 22 million players, and the series' most successful game, the first Battlefield, was played by about 30 million people.
To reach such a level, EA decided to introduce popular business models, in particular, making the game free-to-play, including a battle royale mode, and adding a six-hour story campaign. But implementing these ideas turned out to be difficult.
Ridgeline Studio, which was working on the single-player campaign, was shut down in 2024 after two years of work, because the employees considered the goals unachievable. Now, three other EA studios (Criterion, DICE, and Motive) are trying to implement the story mode. But they had to start development from scratch. This remains the only component of the game that has not even reached the alpha stage.
The project is already called the most expensive in franchise history. In 2023, its budget was estimated at $400 million, but, according to insiders, this amount has been significantly exceeded.
Given the development challenges and changes on teams, it is uncertain whether EA will manage to release Battlefield within the planned timeframe. Sources do not rule out that many of the announced features and content could be cut from the final version.
