Developers of Battlefield 6 reportedly facing extreme stress and extended work hours amid efforts to rival Call of Duty and Fortnite, leading to significant disruptions, expressing concerns.
Electronic Arts (EA) is embarking on a new chapter with Battlefield 6, a highly anticipated title in the popular franchise, codenamed Glacier. The development process for this ambitious project, aiming to compete with the likes of Call of Duty, Fortnite, and other large properties, is marked by high ambition, expanded scope, and significant internal challenges.
The project, which includes a free-to-play battle royale mode, a traditional combined-arms multiplayer, a single-player campaign, and the return of the Portal mode from Battlefield 2042, has placed immense pressure on the development teams. This has led to extraordinary stress and long working hours for the teams involved, with a growing number of developers taking mental exhaustion leave.
To oversee different aspects of the game, EA has brought in high-profile industry veterans such as Byron Beede (Call of Duty, Destiny), Vince Zampella (Call of Duty, Titanfall), and Marcus Lehto (Halo co-creator). Development now involves multiple EA studios collaborating more extensively than before.
However, the journey has not been without its hurdles. Reports reveal major issues with the single-player story mode and internal conflicts within the development teams, causing delays and complications. Ridgeline Games, initially responsible for the single-player campaign, was closed by EA after two years of development due to dissatisfaction with its work. The mode was subsequently handed over to DICE, Criterion Games, and Motive Studio, who had to completely restart the mode due to lack of progress.
In an effort to rectify this, Marcus Lehto was hired to lead a new team called Ridgeline Games for the single-player campaign development. Despite these changes, the human cost of Battlefield 6's development woes is terrible, with many employees suffering from exhaustion and burnout.
The development budget has ballooned to over $400 million, and EA has set a very ambitious target of reaching 100 million players with Battlefield 6, a huge leap compared to Battlefield 2042's approximately 22 million players. This raises skepticism internally about whether the market can support such numbers without cannibalizing other EA shooter audiences or related games.
As of May 2025, all features except the single-player campaign have reached alpha build status, indicating progress but ongoing work on the campaign. The game is planned to launch by March 31, 2026, with a formal reveal expected in summer 2025.
If EA truly cares about its employees, it needs to take action to address the core problems in Battlefield 6's development and prioritise a sustainable and healthy work environment. This includes working on making existing processes more efficient and allowing for more time when it's needed to prevent exhausting and oppressive workloads. Addressing disagreements and poor communication across studios is also crucial to create a more sustainable and healthy work environment.
- The developers involved in creating Battlefield 6, a PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox gaming title, are facing immense stress and long working hours, leading some to take mental exhaustion leave.
- EA has added several industry veterans, such as Byron Beede, Vince Zampella, and Marcus Lehto, to oversee different aspects of the game, with Marcus Lehto now leading a new team for the single-player campaign development.
- Reports indicate major issues with the single-player story mode and internal conflicts within the development teams, causing delays and complications, which led to the closure of Ridgeline Games and the mode being handed to DICE, Criterion Games, and Motive Studio.
- The ambitious target of reaching 100 million players with Battlefield 6 has raised skepticism within EA about whether the market can support such numbers without negatively impacting other EA shooter audiences or related games.
- To improve workplace wellness and address the issues arising from Battlefield 6's development, EA should work on making processes more efficient, providing ample time needed to prevent excessive working hours, and fostering better communication across studios for a healthier work environment.
- A focus on health and mental health, in addition to enhancing technology and using gadgets like PCs and gaming consoles for entertainment, is vital to maintain a sustainable work environment in the fast-paced world of technology and game development.
