Electronic Arts has ceased all development of Battlefield Mobile for Android and iOS, and the game's development studio, Industrial Toys, has been shuttered. The company will be pivoting in a new direction away from Battlefield Mobile as developers at DICE continue to work on Battlefield 2042 updates and new Battlefield projects.
After many years of development, EA and Industrial Toys released the Battlefield Mobile open beta in select regions around the world this past November. The free-to-play shooter would be EA's first Battlefield title for mobile devices, and players in Southeast Asia would be the first to try out Battlefield Mobile on Android. However, the lack of availability in the U.S. and Europe encouraged some doubt among Battlefield players in these prominent markets. The uncertainty surrounding Battlefield Mobile would be justified only three months after the open beta launched.
EA published its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, revealing development of Battlefield Mobile has been canceled and the Industrial Toys studio is being shut down. The company decided to pivot from the current direction to best deliver its vision of the Battlefield franchise and meet the expectation of its players. As a result, Battlefield Mobile's development has ceased as EA and DICE focus on updating Battlefield 2042 and developing future Battlefield titles to come. In fact, EA confirms that pre-production of new Battlefield projects has already begun across multiple studios.
Industrial Toys was founded in January 2012 by former Bungie president Alex Seropian, former Bungie project lead Brent Pease, and Seven Lights co-founder Tim Harris. The company's debut project was Midnight Stars, a first-person sci-fi shooter released in February 2015 for iOS. Battlefield Mobile was Industrial Toys' first and only project under the EA umbrella following the studio's acquisition in July 2018.
Battlefield Mobile joins the same fate as the free-to-play Apex Legends Mobile game, which is being shut down completely this year. EA reassures fans that more updates are coming to Battlefield 2042, but the Battlefield community's waning interest leads many to anticipate the next entry in the long-running series. However, EA and DICE can continue to learn from the mistakes of Battlefield 2042 while developing a brand-new Battlefield title.
At the very least, EA is committed to developing more Battlefield games while taking player expectations into consideration. The well-received launch of the Dead Space remake could encourage EA and DICE to pursue a high-quality Battlefield title while respecting the wishes of longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Source: VentureBeat