EA Assigns a Holiday 2016 Launch For Next Battlefield Game

Already looking beyond the launch of Visceral Games’ cops vs. criminals shooter Battlefield Hardline later next year, fans can expect to dive into their next Battlefield experience during the Holidays in 2016, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed in an earnings call earlier today.

According to Wilson, EA’s forward looking plan aims to ensure players “have enough time between releases to fully explore the depth and innovation in [their] shooter titles”. Given Hardline’s just-announced March release date, EA also announced that the company hopes to give up Holiday 2015’s launch season to DICE’s upcoming Star Wars title, Star Wars: Battlefront, which would push EA’s next Battlefield release one year back to Holiday 2016.

As Wilson explained during the call, “Looking into next year, we will ensure that our players have enough time between releases to fully explore the depth and innovation in our shooter titles. Beginning on March 17, 2015 in North America and a few days later in Europe, we will launch Battlefield Hardline, packed with innovation and set in an entirely new environment that will excite fans of Battlefield and new players as well.”

“Following this launch, our next Battlefield experience is planned for launch in Q3 FY17,” he continued. “We want to give Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline players more time to enjoy these games and immerse themselves in the game, the live service, and the community.”

To save you some research, quarter three of EA’s fiscal year 2017 translates to October, November, and December of calendar year 2016, so mark your planners.

Understandably, no details about the next Battlefield game after Hardline were provided, so it’s not clear if we’ll be looking at another Battlefield spin-off, or Battlefield 5 proper. It’s also unclear if developer DICE will once again lead development, as is traditionally the case, or if responsibilities will be handed off to another EA studio, as with next year’s Battlefield Hardline.

Tell us in the comments, what are your hopes and dreams for 2016’s Battlefield game?

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