The future of the Battlefield franchise may now be in good hands, as the studio this man founded has spent the last decade creating another franchise that is now only alive through a spinoff…

Battlefield 2042’s team is being replaced, as we’ve reported before, but until now, it was unclear who exactly would be stepping down or taking the baton. GameSpot has reported that Electronic Arts is changing strategy and personnel around the Battlefield franchise, as the reception to Battlefield 2042 has not been excellent. The franchise’s boss will now be Vince Zampella, who presumably has an extraterrestrial background as he is the founder of Respawn Entertainment (Titanfall) and the head of DICE Los Angeles, so… he’ll have his hands full, and then some.

We have no idea how much control Zampella will have over Battlefield, as Byron Beede has been retained as the franchise’s general manager. Of Zampella, Electronic Arts’ chief operating officer Laura Miele said, “He creates culture-defining entertainment that [resonates] beyond games. We are bringing one of the most influential and talented individuals in entertainment to a franchise ready to be unleashed into the modern era of gaming. It’s a great inflexion point in game history. His ability to lead studios and bring developers together so they can create world-class experiences is unmatched. The structure, process, and vision he brings will enable Battlefield to excel like never before. No one knows shooters and live services better than Vince.”

Oskar Gabrielson, general manager of DICE, has spent nearly five years at the top of the Stockholm studio and was the company’s general manager for almost a decade, but he, too, is leaving. Rebecka Coutaz, who has been the managing director at Ubisoft Annecy for nearly ten years, will take over the studio boss role. In addition, Battlefield will no longer be the sole responsibility of DICE: Electronic Arts will also be bringing several of its studios on board to work on the IP. Ripple Effect, which worked on Battlefield 2042’s Portal mode, is working on a new BF2042 experience, while the as-yet-unnamed Seattle team led by ex-Halo, ex-Disintegration Marcus Lehto is also turning its attention to the franchise with a Battlefield project with a stronger narrative element. Both studios are also set to “patch up” 2042.

“We believe in 2042 as it is the cornerstone for the future as we begin work to expand the universe. As a whole, we’re all-in on Battlefield. It is one of the most important and valuable franchises in the industry. Collectively, we are out to unlock its enormous potential,” Miele added. We’ll see…

Source: Gamesindustry