Electronic Arts is adding Motive Studio, the team behind Star Wars: Squadrons and the 2023 remake of Dead Space, to the roster of developers working on the next Battlefield game. Byron Beede, general manager for the Battlefield franchise, and Patrick Klaus, general manager of Motive, announced the formation of a Battlefield-focused team at Motive on Tuesday — an announcement that also signaled the end of seasonal content for Battlefield 2042.
Motive will be one of four studios working on the Battlefield franchise alongside DICE, Criterion, and Ripple Effect. EA recently announced the closure of Ridgeline Games, a studio established in 2021 to work on narrative-focused Battlefield content. Some workers at Ridgeline were moved to Ripple Effect.
“We have an ambitious vision to embrace and unlock the vast potential of the series’ class-based squadplay and immersive, intense battles,” Beede said, noting that multiple EA-owned studios are developing “connected multiplayer experiences and single-player” content set in the Battlefield franchise.
Battlefield 2042’s current and seventh season, Turning Point, will be its last, Beede confirmed. “After Season 7 concludes, we will continue to support the game with new in-game challenges, events, modes, and of course, ongoing maintenance, but we are moving away from delivering official seasons,” he said. “We know this news may be disappointing. However, as we looked at what the future of the series required, it became clear it was time for us to shift our resources and focus to be fully dedicated to what comes next.”
The Motive team working on Battlefield will be led by Philippe Ducharme and Roman Campos-Oriola, directors of the Dead Space remake, Klaus said.
Klaus noted Motive’s previously announced Iron Man project will continue, led by Olivier Proulx and Ian Frazier. “Iron Man is an important priority for Motive, and I’m very proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far,” Klaus said. The untitled Iron Man game was revealed in 2022 as “an all-new single-player, third-person, action-adventure.” EA is also working with Marvel on a Black Panther game.
The formation of a Battlefield-focused team within Motive brings the future of the recently revived Dead Space franchise into question. Polygon reached out to EA for clarification on what Tuesday’s announcement means for Dead Space, but a spokesperson referred us back to Beede and Klaus’ statements. EA has not announced any additional titles in development at Motive, including a potential remake of Dead Space 2.
Electronic Arts said in 2021, shortly after the launch of Battlefield 2042, that it was handing the reins of the Battlefield franchise to Vince Zampella, co-founder of Apex Legends and Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment. A few months later, EA CEO Andrew Wilson described the change as part of “rethinking the [Battlefield] development process from the ground up” and a plan to build a “connected Battlefield universe.”
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