A piece of somewhat troubling news regarding Battlefield 6 development has surfaced, as DICE is officially getting help from Need for Speed’s studio Criterion to finish the game. It is quite understandable that EA would want extra help on the development of one of its flagship games. In the past, EA has called the upcoming Battlefield title the biggest game in the history of the franchise.
Last year, during November’s earnings call, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson revealed a tiny bit of promising information regarding Battlefield 6. According to his words, the game was going to be the biggest one to ever release in the franchise, offering a never-before-seen scale. Although Wilson didn’t specifically elaborate on what this meant gameplay-wise, one would imagine that massive battle encounters await players in the anticipated sequel. It was indirectly confirmed by insiders who claimed that Battlefield 6 might feature 128-player battles.
In an interview with Polygon, EA’s chief studios officer Laura Miele told that this year’s Need for Speed title would be delayed until 2022 so that Criterion, the studio behind the game, could help DICE with the development of Battlefield 6. Miele made it clear that there is nothing wrong with the upcoming Battlefield title. Both the studio and the publisher expect the title to be a quality one, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced employees to work from home, which affected productivity and schedule. In that regard, a helping hand from Criterion is indeed a reasonable step to fulfill all of Battlefield 6’s potential. According to Miele, the game is internally viewed as a love letter for fans, which should be a promising sign for players. She also added that DICE LA is also on board, as well, meaning that the latest Battlefield is now a three-studio collaborative effort.
![Battlefield 6 Developer DICE Getting Help From Need For Speed Studio](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Battlefield-4-Fan-Artwork.jpg)
It feels like EA is taking extra steps to ensure that Battlefield 6 will be a great title, and according to industry insiders, fans would indeed be pleased with what they see once the game releases this year. A few months ago, a well-known insider Tom Henderson reported that from his knowledge, the next Battlefield would be exactly the game that all the fans of the franchise want to receive. This claim was based on highly positive feedback from internal testing of the title.
Although the situation might indeed sound worrying, it is worth mentioning that Criterion already has a record of working alongside DICE. Previously, both studios were collaborating during the development of Star Wars: Battlefront and its sequel. In addition, the Need for Speed developer singlehandedly tackled the Firestorm battle royale mode for Battlefield 5. In other words, there’s nothing exceptional in DICE and Criterion joining forces to wrap up the development of Battlefield 6, but it can nonetheless cause slight anxiety in the fan community.