The “one more thing” at the Battlefield 6 multiplayer reveal event turned out to be the announcement of a new Battlefield battle royale project. Not much is known about it, however, though Battlefield Studios has so far released a teaser trailer and confirmed a few details.
Here’s everything we know so far, along with a recap of Battlefield’s history in the battle royale space.
Battlefield battle royale trailer
A teaser trailer showed soldiers scattering through a tropical location as the camera panned backwards to a massive firestorm spreading down a mountain toward them. The trailer itself didn’t mention a product name or even mention “battle royale,” but Battlefield’s community manager later confirmed it is indeed a new battle royale project.
The trailer doesn’t offer much in the way of details, but you can see a soldier crashing a golf cart into a pool, while some funky music plays. This might suggest the Battlefield battle royale product is less serious in tone than the “grounded” game that is Battlefield 6. Take a look at the trailer below.
A return to Firestorm?
Back in 2018, when the battle royale genre was really heating up, many companies tried their hand at it, including EA and Battlefield. Back then, EA released a mode inside Battlefield V called Firestorm, and it was Battlefield’s first stab at a battle royale experience. Instead of a poison gas ring closing in on players, a massive firestorm steadily shrunk the map to help drive players together. Many players said Firestorm felt like a half-baked idea that EA brought to Battlefield V to capitalize on the battle royale craze.
Firestorm was part of Battlefield V, and it required buying that game to play. It remains to be seen what the business model might be for the next iteration of Battlefield battle royale. However, given the fierce competition in the battle royale space for time, money, and attention, one would think EA would make it a free-to-play standalone game, but nothing is confirmed at this stage.
Who’s developing Battlefield battle royale?
The new Battlefield battle royale game is being developed by Ripple Effect. This is the EA-owned studio that led development on Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode and is now taking the reins on the battle royale game. Ripple Effect is one of the four studios under the Battlefield Studios banner. The others include DICE, Motive, and Criterion.
How to sign up to test Battlefield battle royale
It’s still early days for the Battlefield battle royale game, but a key piece of information to know is that Battlefield Studios will make it available first to testers in the Battlefield Labs program. EA also used the Battlefield Labs program to test Battlefield 6 itself.
Battlefield Labs is free, but EA has temporarily closed sign-ups for new testers. Battlefield Labs will open again at some point, and when that happens, you can sign up for free. It remains to be seen when that might happen or when testing will begin on the battle royale game.
A new battle royale in 2025?
The battle royale space is currently dominated by juggernauts like Fortnite, PUBG, and Call of Duty: Warzone. With people increasingly spending more time in the games they already play, people are wondering what the new Battlefield battle royale game can do to get people to try it and stick with it. That all remains to be seen.
Many believed that another giant FPS franchise, Halo, would get its own battle royale mode, too, and reports suggested Microsoft spent time and money exploring this before abandoning plans. It’ll be interesting to see what EA and Battlefield Studios have in store for battle royale. And to be sure, it’s possible the project is never seen through to release.
