EA has established a new Battlefield studio that will be working on a narrative campaign for the franchise. The studio, Ridgeline Games, is based in Kirkland, Washington, and is headed up by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto, according to a press release.
The company didn’t share details about what this new experience might be about, when it might be released, or what platforms it will be available for. But the promise of a dedicated narrative campaign could be good news for Battlefield fans who were disappointed that the live service Battlefield 2042, which had a poorly received launch in November, didn’t have a campaign mode of its own. And as EA continues to push further into live service games, such as the new Skate, it’s good to see that the company is still investing in more narratively focused experiences.
EA first said it would be building a Lehto-led team when it put Respawn boss Vince Zampella in charge of Battlefield weeks after 2042’s launch. Despite 2042’s rocky start, EA still seems quite dedicated to the Battlefield franchise as a whole; CEO Andrew Wilson said in February that the company is “fully committed” to realizing 2042’s potential, and the company is working on a Battlefield mobile title that’s set to release sometime this year.
Alongside the reveal of Ridgeline Games, 2042 developer Dice also announced that creative director Lars Gustavsson, who has worked on the franchise for more than 20 years, would be leaving the studio. He’ll be moving on to “something new,” he said in a statement to GameSpot.