EA: Battlefield Franchise “Would Make Sense” to Have a Free-to-Play Component in the Future

With Activision having struck gold with Call of Duty: Warzone, some people (like this guy) assumed that EA would somehow tie-in a free-to-play (F2P) mode to Battlefield 2042 to counteract that. As we know now, EA has revealed Battlefield 2042’s  three core modes: All-Out Warfare (128-player matches), Battlefield Portal, and Hazard Zone, with none of them offering a free-to-play option.

• Related Reading: Battlefield 2042 Ad Blatantly Ripped Off by Chinese Naval Ship Game. Here’s a Side by Side Comparison

While that might be the case now, it looks like EA is indeed considering a Battlefield component that’s F2P, though the publisher didn’t mention whether this would be tied in to Battlefield 2042 or a separate title on its own. In the publisher’s latest quarterly earnings report, EA CEO Andrew Wilson states that it would “make sense” for the Battlefield franchise to have a F2P component to the overall “ecosystem” in the future.

 I think when we look at our Battlefield franchise today with the knowledge that it probably makes sense to have a free-to-play component to that overall ecosystem in the future.

Job number 1 was truly a reinvention of the action shooter category and I think that’s what they have seek — sort of do. And that’s what they’ve achieved through this 128-plan multiplayer [Indiscernible] expansion, deeper engagement in creativity to portal mode, and innovative new modes in and around the game. I think the next page of that is going to be the launch of the Battlefield Mobile total. And then as we continue to expand that — and that in itself will serve tens of millions of players. I think as we ever think about further expanding apply those over time, free-to-play will make sense for the franchise, but it’s not the focus right now. – Andrew Wilson, EA CEO

There is a free-to-play Battlefield game set to launch soon, which is Battlefield Mobile, which is currently being tested in different regions right now. As for a standalone, “core” Battlefield game that’s F2P, the last one we saw was Battlefield Heroes, which was released back in 2009 for PC. Developed by DICE, the game was played via a third-person perspective, and had its servers close back in 2015.

Would you want a F2P Battlefield game? More importantly, would you want it to be a battle royale and compete with Warzone? Sound off in the comments and let us know.

Source: SeekingAlpha (login required)

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