EA CEO Andrew Wilson had confirmed the publisher would be willing to delay its next Battlefield – currently expected to release before April 2026 – if “some things happening in the year” meant that “wasn’t a great window for us”.
Battlefield’s recently announced launch window is, of course, absolutely stuffed with major releases, with the likes of Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yōtei, and Fable all currently aiming to launch in the same timeframe. And that’s without considering the juggernaut release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is still officially arriving this “autumn” despite persistent rumours of a potential delay – a release window other publishers appear reluctant to commit to until Rockstar makes its plans known.
So there’s fierce competition for eyeballs and wallets ahead – something Wilson acknowledged in response to an investor question regarding the new Battlefield’s launch window during EA’s latest financial call. “I do believe that this year might be a nuanced year relative to competition,” he admitted. “There may be some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing.”
Wilson also noted EA has “invested more in this Battlefield than any Battlefield before… We’re looking for this to be the biggest Battlefield we’ve ever made.” As such, the publisher “[wants] to make sure that we launch that into a window where we can deliver on the fullness of the promise of what Battlefield can be and grow the community to a level that is commensurate with the size of the game that we’re making.”