Vince Zampella is working on the next Battlefield game, and his experience is a big deal when it comes to rivaling Activision’s Call of Duty. That’s because Zampella himself actually worked on original Modern Warfare games, putting him in a special position right now. INterestingly, though, he’s taking a rather unique approach, earlier this month stating that his team isn’t planning to “take down” Call of Duty. As a longtime fan of both series, this seeming lack of competitive punch is actually is a green flag. Let me explain.
Put simply, not every shooter should try to be a “CoD killer.” It’s too tall an order. We’ve seen games try and fail at this plight — think XDefiant is the best example of this situation. For me, Battlefield simply needs to do what Battlefield does best, and it might even outsell Call of Duty along the way.
For my money, Battlefield’s best games have doubled-down on realistic military simulation that focuses on grandscale combat. Think about destructible buildings taken down by chopper gunners and RPGs for instance, and you’ll find Battlefield right on top. The core tactical approach of Battlefield to the shooter experience is what makes this franchise amazing, and it seems like Vince Zampella and Byron Beede as the directors of this next game understand that more than anyone else.
In a recent interview with IGN, Zampella stated: “If you look at the best Battlefields have outsold Call of Duties and other way around, back and forth. So I think it absolutely can” (outsell Call of Duty). He goes on to say “Is that what we’re going for? I mean not directly, but always. We’re trying to make something different and we’re trying to make something that’s us.”
Taking the best versions of the Battlefield games like BF3 and 4 out of the book here, probably means staying away from the hero-shooter elements, which is music to our ears. That’s what Battlefield does best, and that era is what Battlefield needs a one-way ticket to return to.
To hype things up a little bit, videos of the recent Investors Day at EA have surfaced online, showcasing a speech by Byron Beede about taking on the new Battlefield game. He reveals that four studios are working on this game: DICE, which is the creator of Battlefield. Criterion, which is mostly known for the Burnout series and working on the recent Need For Speed titles is currently tasked with working on Battelfield‘s Single Player mode. Star Wars: Squadron‘s Motive studio is here to assist. And last but definitely not least, Ripple Effect working on a new game mode for Battlefield, which is already rumoured to be a brand new Battle Royale/Extraction.
Now with three game modes containing a Campaign story, Multiplayer probably with 128 players mayhem, and a Battle Royale that would definitely rival Warzone, EA is going on full throttle with Battlefield this time around. Only time will tell how this new iteration of Battlefield will play, but with big names like Vince Zampella and Byron Beede behind the curtains and four studios working on this game, our expectations for this upcoming title are high in the sky.
