Development studio Digital Illusions CE (DICE) has confirmed that it is now focused on creating the next installment of the "Battlefield" series.
According to the company, some of the developers who worked on this year's "Star Wars Battlefront" will handle the upcoming project, IGN reported.
In a Twitter post by game director Dan Vaderlind, he said that now that DICE has finished working on "Star Wars Battlefront," the company will now be able to work on "Battlefield 5."
"Now that we've shipped 'Battlefront' and a part of the team continues to work on it, I am moving on to another project, the next 'Battlefield,'" he tweeted.
As for the story of the upcoming "Battlefield" game, Blake Jorgensen, the CFO of DICE's mother company Electronic Arts, said that the title will return to the original roots of the series. Specifically, "Battlefield 5" will once again adopt a military setting.
Of course, the executive's statements served to clarify that the next installment in the franchise will not be a follow-up to "Battlefield: Hardline," which deviated from the core theme of the series by centering on the conflict between law enforcement agencies and criminals.
However, as noted by Cinemablend, it is not yet clear which era "Battlefield 5" will take place in. Some titles from the series are set during the World War II era while others feature a more modern or futuristic environment.
Some gamers are speculating that it could be a follow-up to the "Battlefield: Bad Company" series that first came out in 2008. Its sequel, which was released in 2010, is a squad-based shooter based in a modern setting.
Regarding its release, Electronic Arts had already stated that it plans to launch the next "Battlefield" game sometime in 2016, according to PC Gamer. Although "Hardline" came out earlier this year, a 2016 release for "Battlefield 5" still coincides with the studio's launch cycle for the series.
Based on previous releases, major "Battlefield" titles are debut every two years. But, since "Hardline" is a major departure from the franchise, EA probably doesn't consider it as a major installment in the "Battlefield" series.
The announcement regarding the development of a new "Battlefield" game is not actually that surprising. Aside from the fact a new shooter game is slated to come out next year, Microsoft's recent Deals with Gold program centered on various discounted "Battlefield" games and DLCs for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. This may have served as a sigh that Microsoft is clearing out its shelves to make may for a new "Battlefield" title.
