Next Battlefield Game Loses Director Mid-Development

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Bad News For EA's Next Battlefield?

Story Highlight
  • Ridgeline Games was tasked with handling the single-player experience for future Battlefield games.
  • This studio was led by director Marcus Lehto.
  • This director seems to have departed from EA, and the status of Ridgeline Games remains unknown.

The Battlefield series began heading toward a comeback last year. With the latest entry reaching new concurrent player counts on Steam and EA hinting at a renewed focus on destruction, fans were cautiously optimistic for the future of this IP.

However, it seems Battlefield has run into a major hurdle only months after these events. Game director Marcus Lehto no longer appears to be a part of EA or Ridgeline Games, marking a major blow to the franchise.

Why it matters: Marcus Lehto was the director at Ridgeline Games with years of experience on IPs like Halo, inspiring confidence for the future of EA’s flagship first-person shooter IP.

First spotted by DannyonPC, Marcus Lehto has removed all traces of his work at Ridgeline Games on social media. While it remains unclear whether the studio is still active, the game director has confirmed his departure on Facebook.

Following the release of Battlefield 2042, EA hoped to return with more single-player content for the franchise, including a single-player campaign. This is where Marcus Lehto came in to helm a new studio.

Joining in late 2022, Lehto was selected to lead Ridgeline Games as the studio’s director, becoming a major part of the next Battlefield experience, described as a reimagining by EA not too long ago.

However, with Marcus Lehto no longer part of the team, Battlefield’s single-player aims might take a major hit. Meanwhile, Dice’s recent track record leaves a lot to be desired.

Battlefield 5
Battlefield 5 Was The Last Major Dice Release With A Single-Player Story

While EA still has various other teams working on the franchise, developers like Criterion Games are also occupied in other projects. With Ridgeline Games and Marcus Lehto solely dedicated to this specific IP, their contributions were expected to play a major role in the future direction.

However, with this departure, it remains to be seen whether EA’s series will be able to return to its former glory. The publisher currently appears to be targeting a late 2025 release for the next major launch.

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