EA have addressed the rocky launch of Battlefield 4, deeming it ‘unacceptable’ and have vowed to learn from their mistakes with the upcoming Battlefield: Hardline.
Speaking to Eurogamer, EA CEO Andrew Wilson expressed disappointment with the launch that left many gamers unable to play. Battlefield 4 was released late last year on all major platforms, targeting 60 frames per second and a 64-player multiplayer mode on next gen consoles – Wilson explained it was exactly this ambition that left the game feeling ‘broken’.
“Think about what Battlefield 4 was: 64 player multiplayer, giant maps, 1080p, Levolution that was changing the gameplay design in an emergent way. There is a chance there are things you are going to miss through the development cycle. And you end up in a situation we had with Battlefield 4.
“For me, the situation we had was unacceptable. For the team it was unacceptable. We have worked tirelessly since then to make sure the gameplay experience got to where it absolutely should have been at launch and we’re focused on that and we continue to deliver value to that player base.
“But when you do things like that you can never guarantee. It would be disingenuous for me to sit here and say, ‘we will never have an issue again,’ because that would mean we were never going to push the boundaries again. And I don’t want to be that company. I want to be a company that pushes to lead and innovate and be creative. But you can start to do things that give you a better handle and a better view about what the potential challenges might be.”
Wilson noted that he believed the solution to these problems would be lengthen development cycles, hit betas earlier and allow the game enough time to be thoroughly put through its paces.
“We have changed development processes, we’ve changed development timelines and we’ve changed testing processes and beta processes, all with a view to not have the issues again.”
Battlefield: Hardline, the upcoming title developed in partnership with Dead Space studio Visceral, is set to hit shelves October this year, and steps are already being taken to avoid the problems it’s predecessor faced. The launch of the Hardline beta almost 5 months prior to official release date is just one of the ways the company is aiming to improve their development process. Aware of the justified scepticism the company faces from the gamers stung by Battlefield 4, DICE are hoping to use the release to their advantage – their goal is to take this opportunity to show the community their ability and willingness to listen to feedback, both positive and negative, and make changes to their process for the better.
