Vince Zampella is now at the helm of the Battlefield franchise.
Despite good sales, the poor start of Battlefield 2042, as well as many negative reviews, left a deep mark on DICE. Following the departure of Design Director Fawzi Mesmar to become Vice President of the Editorial Group at Ubisoft, Managing Director Oskar Gabrielsson, Sound Designer Andreas Almström (Embark Studios), Chief Designer Christian Johannessen (Massive Entertainment), Software Engineer Carl-Johan Karlsson (Avalanche Studios), audio technical director Gustav Ratsman (Sweet Justice Sound), 3D artist Andreas Fugner Ezelius (River End Games) and head lighting designer Gustav Embretsen (Fall Damage) also left the ship. Vince Zampella was called in to help by American publisher Electronic Arts to oversee the license along with Byron Beed, former Call of Duty CEO at Activision, and Marcus Lehto.
“He can create entertainment that defines a cultural dimension and resonates beyond games. We are bringing one of the most powerful and talented individuals in the entertainment world to a franchise that is poised to usher in the modern era of the video game industry. This is an extraordinary point of convergence in the history of video games. His ability to lead studios and bring developers together to create a world-class experience is unmatched,” said Laura Miele, Studio Director at Electronic Arts. “I believe the structure, process and vision he brings will make Battlefield better than ever before. No one knows better than him in online shooters.”
Electronic Arts wants to create an interconnected Battlefield universe
Perhaps the most significant change is Electronic Arts’ official announcement of the creation of the Battlefield universe, which will likely span multiple games and offerings and be developed by various studios in North America and Europe. EA told GameSpot shortly that DICE, Ripple Effect, and Marcus Lehto’s new studio in Seattle will be working together to develop and improve Battlefield 2042. Other Battlefield games and experiences in development are intended to serve as add-ons in some ways. to some extent out of the new Battlefield universe EA is trying to create. There is currently no word on what new games and features EA plans to create or when they will be released.