Battlefield 2042 artwork showing soldiers running towards the camera

Battlefield Labs Could Let You Shape the Next Battlefield Game Through Testing

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Published: February 3, 2025 11:32 AM

EA and its "collective Battlefield Studios teams" have announced Battlefield Labs, a testing initiative that will allow certain Battlefield players to test out the new game and provide their feedback during development.

In a post on the official Battlefield website, EA describes Battlefield Labs as its "most ambitious community development collaboration ever". The initiative will give players the chance to provide their feedback in order to "validate the future of Battlefield".

So, what exactly will Battlefield Labs entail? Essentially, if you're approved for the program, you'll be testing various elements of the new Battlefield game, like core combat, environment destruction, and "balance and feedback" for features like weapons, gadgets, and vehicles.

Soldiers shooting from a helicopter in Battlefield 2042
Battlefield Labs seems like an attempt to avoid another disastrous launch like that of Battlefield 2042.

EA also says that Battlefield Labs will include tests for the Conquest and Breakthrough gameplay modes, which it describes as "the heart and soul of our all-out warfare experience", as well as "pillars" of the franchise like its class system, which was controversially replaced with the Specialist system in Battlefield 2042.

You can sign up for a chance to join the Battlefield Labs program right here, but at time of writing, there are tens of thousands of users in the queue, so be prepared to wait a while before you get your opportunity.

Initially, only "a few thousand participants" will be invited to join Battlefield Labs in Europe and North America, but over time, "tens of thousands more" across "further territories" will get to try the game out.

It's worth noting that this doesn't constitute a full announcement of the new Battlefield game, although you can see a few seconds of gameplay in the video EA released as part of the Battlefield Labs announcement. You can check that out here.

It's likely that Battlefield Labs is part of EA's attempt to avoid repeating the disastrous launch of Battlefield 2042, which was plagued with bugs and other problems at launch, as well as missing features like scoreboards.

The problems at launch were so bad that a petition to allow players to claim an unequivocal refund for the game reached almost 234,000 signatures, which is probably why EA wants to make sure the next game is ready for player scrutiny before it's released.

The seventh season of Battlefield 2042, which took place last year, served as the game's last, and production on the next game ramped up around the same time. Four studios - Motive, DICE, Criterion, and Ripple Effect - are currently working on the game.

We don't know what the next Battlefield will be called yet, nor do we know when it'll release, but we do, at least, know it'll have been made with the participation of the community. Stay tuned for more.

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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for several years, and in those years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph