Electronics Arts predicts that Battlefield 6 will reach an unrealistic goal. Few devs believe this is even possible
Electronic Arts is pinning high hopes on Battlefield 6. According to a report by Ars Technica, the company hopes the new shooter will attract 100 million players.
Even though the quality of Battlefield 2042 has significantly improved since its release, the series, which once dominated the shooter market, is now in a difficult place. Electronic Arts makes no secret that it has high hopes for the next installment of the series, known right now as Battlefield 6 or Project Glacier. The publisher is really banking on this title to bring the series back to its former glory.
As per the extensive report prepared by Ars Technica (via InsiderGaming), based on the accounts of people from within EA, Battlefield 6 has the potential to achieve huge success after its release, which is predicted to happen before April 2026. Furthermore, the company's management assumes that the game can attract 100 million players, with the majority expected to be enticed by the free battle royale mode.
However, this goal seems as ambitious as it is unlikely. For comparison, Battlefield 2042 attracted "only" 22 million players, and the best-selling title in the series' history - Battlefield 1 - according to one of EA's employees, reached "possibly over 30 million." Well, since 2002, by 2022, all installments of the series have sold a total of 100 million copies.
The report emphasized that although there are people in EA, including long-term employees of EA DICE, who believe that reaching the projected 100 million users is possible, they are in the clear minority. An anonymous source quoted by Ars Technica says directly:
Nothing in the market research or our quality deliverables indicates that we would be anywhere near that.
Despite these doubts, development is in full swing. According to the latest reports, the game will include the well-known and fan-favorite Rush mode, which may be a nod to the series' veterans. However, not everything is going well - some developers are reportedly taking long vacations due to exhaustion, and the game's budget is expected to exceed 400 million dollars by 2023.
Will the scale and ambition accompanying Battlefield 6 be enough to restore the franchise's former glory? We will probably find out next year. One thing for sure - Electronic Arts has no room for failure.
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