In an earnings call last November, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said he expected Battlefield 6 to release in time for the 2021 holiday season. With that in mind, it's unsurprising that leaks and rumors about Battlefield 6 are starting to crop up across the internet. While many seem to be providing positive news about the upcoming title, some of these leaks may prove to be disappointing for some who have yet to get their hands on a next-gen console.
One of the more prominent and reputable Battlefield 6 leakers is Tom Henderson on Twitter, who has provided a plethora of information about what fans of the series can expect. He recently showed off a sketch he claimed demonstrates environmental hazards in Battlefield 6's multiplayer mode, and has also suggested that at least part of the main story campaign could be set in Japan. In one of his most recent tweets, he delivered some potentially devastating news for PS4 and Xbox One players.
Henderson said he has yet to hear any information about the game coming to past-gen consoles, and goes on to speculate that it probably won't. He does, however, stand by his earlier prediction that Battlefield 6 will be coming to Xbox Game pass on day one, although now seemingly believes that it will be limited to PC and Xbox Series X/S players. Although he provides no source for this theory, there may well be evidence supporting it.
Back in February, Henderson's Twitter account was suspended following a series of Battlefield 6 leaks; some of which have since been corroborated by Venture Beat reporter Jeff Grubb. This prompted the leaker to create a new account and remove much of the Battlefield content from his YouTube channel. While he has not provided details as to why his original Twitter account was suspended, his actions and some of his subsequent tweets hint that EA likely had something to do with it. This has led many to question why EA may be trying to silence him.
On the subject of EA, it may yet prove to be telling that in the November earnings call Wilson failed to mention previous generation systems; instead he talked about how the technical advancements of the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles would allow the team to "deliver a true next-gen vision for the franchise ... [with] ... never before seen scale." While this is great news for series fans on paper, a next-gen centric approach to development could be bad for players.
Cyberpunk 2077 was another big game that was seemingly designed with the PS5 and Xbox Series X in mind, and this led to a myriad of issues with the last-gen ports. The problems were so bad that Sony ultimately pulled Cyberpunk 2077 from the PlayStation Store. With this in mind, it wouldn't be surprising if EA opts to pass the older systems by entirely in order to avoid a similar headache with Battlefield 6.
Battlefield 6 is currently in development, and is expected to release in late 2021.
Source: Electronic Arts