Electronic Arts is reportedly going all-in on a free-to-play battle royale mode for Battlefield 6, hoping to capture the kind of massive player base that turned Call of Duty: Warzone into a juggernaut. The mode, which will launch alongside traditional multiplayer and a separate premium campaign, is central to EA’s wildly ambitious goal of reaching 100 million players—a number that has raised more than a few eyebrows, even inside the company.
According to sources familiar with the project, many developers at DICE see the 100 million target as pure fantasy. Battlefield 2042, the franchise’s most recent entry, managed around 22 million players despite heavy marketing and post-launch updates. Internally, morale is said to be uneven. Some teams are reportedly proud of the current multiplayer build, which has been in active testing and is described as stable and promising. But others are less optimistic, especially as the single-player campaign remains alarmingly behind schedule.
The battle royale component is a clear shot at the success of Warzone. Leaked details point to sprawling maps, solo and squad elimination modes, and vehicle drops—features designed to appeal to the same audience that made Warzone a household name. But Battlefield’s history with live-service and large-scale competitive modes hasn’t always been smooth. Development on this new title has already cost more than $400 million, and the toll on developers is reportedly mounting. Ars Technica’s in-depth report highlights a growing undercurrent of crunch, burnout, and even retaliatory behavior toward staff who raised concerns about unsustainable working conditions.
The shutdown of Ridgeline Games earlier this year added fuel to the fire. Ridgeline, originally tasked with developing the campaign, left a gap that other EA studios, including Motive and Criterion, were forced to fill. As a result, the single-player component is said to be at least two years behind where it should be—a “do-over” situation that risks either drastic cuts or a late-stage scramble to get something playable in time for release.
Despite the behind-the-scenes turbulence, EA is betting that the battle royale pivot will give Battlefield the shot in the arm it needs. The plan seems clear: hook players for free, then convert them to premium multiplayer or campaign buyers. But with internal doubts, rising costs, and the weight of Battlefield 2042’s rocky legacy hanging overhead, the question isn’t just whether Battlefield 6 can hit 100 million—it’s whether the game will be ready for prime time at all.
If EA sticks the landing, Battlefield could finally reclaim its place at the top of the FPS mountain. If it stumbles, it risks becoming yet another cautionary tale of overpromising, underdelivering, and grinding its developers into the dirt along the way.