EA is looking to build a Battlefield "universe" around and on top of Battlefield 2042, and it's enlisted Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto to head a new studio focused on narrative content for the franchise.
Lehto will lead a new Seattle-based team focused on building "storytelling opportunities now and well into the future," as Battlefield general manager Byron Beede told GameSpot. The opaque "experiences" in the works at the studio, which is still in its early days, will shape "later seasons" of Battlefield 2042 as well as the broader future of the franchise.
After leaving Halo, Lehto most recently founded V1 Interactive and led the development of the tactical hoverbike shooter Disintegration, the multiplayer for which "struggled to build a significant audience" and was shut down just over five months after it launched. To its credit, Disintegration's characters and universe were among its more interesting bits.
Lehto's studio is just one part of EA's plans for this Battlefield universe. GameSpot reports that Ripple Effect, the team currently in charge of Battlefield Portal, is also working on something else for Battlefield 2042, which it will develop alongside the Portal experience. These two will work with franchise owner DICE "to help build great player experiences in the Battlefield universe," Beede says.
It's unclear when the fruits of this collaboration will be released, or exactly what form they'll take. EA COO Laura Miele says the publisher is "all-in on Battlefield", and it's seemingly gearing up for the long-game. She stressed that "[Battlefield 2042] is the cornerstone for the future", while Beede added that "I wouldn't say there is a cadence or deadline; we need to do what is right for our players and our game."
As part of this shake-up, Call of Duty co-creator and Respawn head Vince Zampella will now oversee the Battlefield franchise as a whole.
