Electronic Arts has officially announced its Battlefield single-player studio and the involvement of Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto. While recent Battlefield iterations have opted not to include single-player campaigns, fans of the franchise have pushed for EA to dedicate to single-player going forward. Details regarding a new EA studio dedicated to Battlefield's single-player efforts have been shared for some time, but only now is EA sharing details about the studio and its plans going forward.In late 2019 Marcus Lehto, the co-creator of the Halo franchise with Bungie, announced he'd joined EA to build a new studio in the Seattle area. The focus of his studio remained a mystery, however. Then in July, details regarding the new Battlefield single-player studio began to be shared online. An EA job listing for a Design Director specifically mentioned plans for a "new Battlefield single player campaign experience." A "Battlefield Seattle Studio" was the referenced location for the position.This Battlefield Seattle Studio now has a confirmed name. Going forward, it'll be known as Ridgeline Games, a term referencing a line along the crest of a raised area like a mountain. It's also confirmed that Marcus Lehto will lead Ridgeline Games as both the head of the studio and game director of its initial project. Lehto has built out Ridgeline with a team of "industry veterans from around the world," but is understandably still hiring given the studio's youth.
As previous news regarding Ridgeline Games has made clear, the studio was made to develop single-player campaigns for the Battlefield franchise. No announcements have been made yet regarding the nature of Ridgeline's ongoing work, however. It's unclear if there will be a standalone single-play experience or if the campaign will be attached to the next main series Battlefield release. There is, at least, the insinuation that Ridgeline will be working on Battlefield for multiple projects.
It's possible that there will be mixed reactions to the news of Ridgeline Games making Battlefield single-player campaigns going forward. There will be an initial negative response to EA, which previously deprioritized single-player games in favor of online experiences, which it has now reversed. There will also be questions about the future of Battlefield. Some may have been hoping it'd go free-to-play, but a single-player experience will very likely mean Battlefield remains a premium experience.
Battlefield fans will have to remain patient before they receive any more answers. The next Battlefield game is rumored to be planned for 2024, at the earliest. Since Ridgeline Games has only just been formed, it certainly won't have a single-player Battlefield game available anytime soon. Now there's a name behind the project, though, and Battlefield fans can look forward to something special in the future.
A new Battlefield is currently in development.