Despite some hiccups with performance, matchmaking and more, Battlefield 6 does seem a strong return for the shooter franchise. There are constant conversations over if it will outdo Call of Duty in some respects this year, and yet at the beginning there were very different ambitions for Battlefield.
Speaking with GQ, Dice senior producer David Sirland said he thought Battlefield was more of a niche shooter. "When I started, Battlefield was a niche of a niche, it was almost the Dungeons and Dragons of shooters," he said. "I think Battlefield has survived for this long because the core of the experience was so ambitious back then," added Jeremy Chubb, producer at Dice.
It's clear the franchise has come a long way since its humble beginnings, but the same could be said for its main competitor in Call of Duty. Vince Zampella, the current Battlefield boss and founder of Infinity Ward, described how Call of Duty even came about. "The only reason that Call of Duty exists is because EA were dicks," he said, recalling how he left EA over a dispute regarding Medal of Honor more than 20 years ago.