Has Battlefield been moved to a 3-year dev cycle?

Has Battlefield been moved to a 3-year dev cycle?
David Scammell Updated on by

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Future Battlefield games could be developed on a 3-year development cycle, EA has suggested, moving away from the 18-month to 2-year cycles seen with previous Battlefield titles.

Responding to a question asking whether Activision’s move to a 3-year dev cycle had impacted EA’s approach to Battlefield development, EA Studios EVP Patrick Soderlund explained:

“What they [Activision] are doing mimics to some extent how we’re thinking. Obviously, more time, if managed correctly, yields a better product. So I would say that we’re similarly aligned, and that we’re taking a similar approach, but we haven’t articulated exactly what teams are working [on], because that would imply announcing things that we can’t right now.”

Nevertheless, Soderlund confirmed that DICE Sweden had also been working on “other things” in addition to Battlefield 4 expansion packs.

Battlefield Hardline could be one of the first Battlefield titles to benefit from a 3-year cycle, of course, despite EA initially banking on an earlier release.

Last month it was revealed that Visceral Games started working on Battlefield Hardline “about a year before [Dead Space 3] shipped,” pointing towards development starting in early 2012.

Hardline had initially been due to launch this October, but last night’s delay means it’ll now undergo a full 3 years in development.

And with Star Wars: Battlefront expected to release late next year, Battlefield 5 may not ship until the latter half of 2016 – again pointing towards another 3-year cycle.

Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4 were both criticised by fans for launching with numerous bugs, forcing DICE to delay some of Battlefield 4’s DLC to concentrate on fixing the issues.

For reference, here’s the release schedule of recent Battlefield titles:

  • Battlefield Bad Company (DICE) – June 2008
  • Battlefield Bad Company 2 (DICE) – March 2010
  • Battlefield 3 (DICE) – October 2011
  • Battlefield 4 (DICE) – October 2013
  • Battlefield Hardline (Visceral Games) – Early 2015

The first Call of Duty title to be developed under a 3-year cycle, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, launches this November.

Source: seekingalpha.com