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DICE new boss says it has ‘no time’ for Mirror’s Edge-style projects: ‘We’re focusing only on Battlefield’

I was always holding out for Bad Company 3 but now I dont want it anymore. It would tarnish the legacy of BC2. BF3 and BF4 had their rocky beginnings but became quite solid after a year or so. Why DICE keeps doing this is insane. THREE years for 2042? It better be mindblowing by then, but I'm not expecting anything. Best thing they could do is that retro mode, forget its name, where you can play all the previous games' maps.
 

Thabass

Member
You've been doing that for years now anyway and you still fucked up with Battlefield 2042.

Not really sure the focus is working for ya. But, hey give it a shot.
 
Mirror's Edge was literally the only thing EA made that I gave a damn about. What a shame.

Sure Catalyst had it's flaws, because everyone at the time thought an open world Mirror's Edge was a good idea. I get that it's not a sales monster, but that IP had a soul that made their studio somewhat relevant to me.

I still regularly listen to music arrangements of its soundtrack on YouTube just to zone out when the vibe is right.
I know it's not even close to being the same type of game, but you should give Syndicate(2012) a shot:

MV5BYmIzNzlkYWItZGZjOS00ZWQ5LWJhMDAtMWUyNzY2NzMxZWVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjcyNzc1NTg@._V1_.jpg


It flew under a lot of radars but it was a really fun game.
 

Danknugz

Member
oh only really like CQC battlefield, maybe some rush here and there. can't stand the huge boring wasteland maps with tons of camping spots, bores me to tears. would love to see a return to more like the CQC DLC for BF3. Maybe a CQC focused bad company 3. Or something more like hardline with civilian combat and not the same old tired ass military crap.
 

EDMIX

Member
It depends where the bottleneck was. Smaller focused teams can actually deliver surprisingly great innovative ideas and maybe we need to get better at composing than together than scaling teams to humongous depths. I was listening to this book by Ken Kocienda about how product creation happened during the golden days of Apple (where the foundations for what Cook is exploiting now were laid): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/152900473X/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The software team behind the key components of iOS when the iPhone (project Purple) was developed (like the keyboard, the homescreen/springboard, gesture recognition and multi touch, etc…) was very small. They just had great vision, communicated well, and iterated very very efficiently.

I don't disagree that such a thing can occur, they did make 3 great games at once, simply that if such a thing can't keep up, they are right to focus only on BF as a series going forward as I'd argue BFV and 2042 have shown the dangers of spreading the team so thin.

So I don't disagree that it can work, but can it work WITH DICE under EA? I wish they could keep up that quality across all 3 IP, I really do, but I feel after the last titles they put out, the smartest thing happening at DICE right now is them not doing Star Wars and Mirror's Edge. I think they did great jobs with both IP mind you, but with the latest issues with the BF series, its showing that such a work load on this team can't be sustained and I can't just rest on what they did with Battlefield 1, Battlefront 1 and Mirror's Edge. Now if there were able to keep that quality up, that would be another story. So I agree it can work, simply that DICE needs all the focus on BF and the time and the team to pull off quality projects, I just don't want this team spread out like that, at least not now.

If they are only focusing in BF 2042

That Dice has abandoned BF 2042, only has a skeleton crew working on the game

lol ok. kinda odd to slam them for only focusing on 2042 and then say they abandoned it in the same post lol

It was already debunked by EA btw that they stopped working on 2042, they still actually have the team working on the game btw


The fact that they are even saying more seasons are coming doesn't sound like a skeleton crew situation. That is just for updates, patches etc. Full blown seasons very much sounds like a good chunk of the team still working on the game's content. That isn't even to say they haven't started a new BF as you have to consider they are no longer making a Star Wars game (not sure if that was ever confirmed) and clearly they are no longer working on Mirror's Edge.

It means its very, very likely that half of DICE is working on the new BF, half on the DLC stuff for 2042. Keep in mind, even the idea that DICE itself stopped working on 2042 or something wouldn't be wild news, they often move on and its DICE LA that continues post launch support like DLC, update etc, but the fact that the sweden team and DICE LA are still working on this clearly shows more support is being put into this.

Why is a bigger question.

Maybe its for PR reasons to market the next BF, maybe its for feedback for the new BF instead of using the next game as a guinea pig so to speak. It seems like they want to put enough support in the game to make the argument that they'll support the next and can support it as it would be odd to make a new BF and be like "please trust us long term" only to have left 2042 behind as THAT would be the argument made during that reveal lol
 

Pakoe

Gold Member
I don't disagree that such a thing can occur, they did make 3 great games at once, simply that if such a thing can't keep up, they are right to focus only on BF as a series going forward as I'd argue BFV and 2042 have shown the dangers of spreading the team so thin.

So I don't disagree that it can work, but can it work WITH DICE under EA? I wish they could keep up that quality across all 3 IP, I really do, but I feel after the last titles they put out, the smartest thing happening at DICE right now is them not doing Star Wars and Mirror's Edge. I think they did great jobs with both IP mind you, but with the latest issues with the BF series, its showing that such a work load on this team can't be sustained and I can't just rest on what they did with Battlefield 1, Battlefront 1 and Mirror's Edge. Now if there were able to keep that quality up, that would be another story. So I agree it can work, simply that DICE needs all the focus on BF and the time and the team to pull off quality projects, I just don't want this team spread out like that, at least not now.





lol ok. kinda odd to slam them for only focusing on 2042 and then say they abandoned it in the same post lol

It was already debunked by EA btw that they stopped working on 2042, they still actually have the team working on the game btw

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The fact that they are even saying more seasons are coming doesn't sound like a skeleton crew situation. That is just for updates, patches etc. Full blown seasons very much sounds like a good chunk of the team still working on the game's content. That isn't even to say they haven't started a new BF as you have to consider they are no longer making a Star Wars game (not sure if that was ever confirmed) and clearly they are no longer working on Mirror's Edge.

It means its very, very likely that half of DICE is working on the new BF, half on the DLC stuff for 2042. Keep in mind, even the idea that DICE itself stopped working on 2042 or something wouldn't be wild news, they often move on and its DICE LA that continues post launch support like DLC, update etc, but the fact that the sweden team and DICE LA are still working on this clearly shows more support is being put into this.

Why is a bigger question.

Maybe its for PR reasons to market the next BF, maybe its for feedback for the new BF instead of using the next game as a guinea pig so to speak. It seems like they want to put enough support in the game to make the argument that they'll support the next and can support it as it would be odd to make a new BF and be like "please trust us long term" only to have left 2042 behind as THAT would be the argument made during that reveal lol
Do we really want to believe the same people that said BF6 is way ahead of schedule?
Of course they're gonna deny what leakers have been stating.

Even if the leakers are wrong. If the last few patches and season 1 show what the majority of the team if capable of, the game will slowly die off.
I'll won't deny that there are people that are enjoying the game which is fine. But compared with what previous BF titles received as DLC, this game will never have the content which is necessary for the game to survive. They will complete year 1 with the most barebones content they need to deliver thanks to the pre-orders and after that it's done. Not even Portal will save this game and I'm not even gonna start on the shitty BR mode they tried to add.

At this point, I'm just waiting for EA to take DICE to the back of the shack.
 
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EDMIX

Member
Do we really want to believe the same people that said BF6 is way ahead of schedule?
Of course they're gonna deny what leakers have been stating.

It could be ahead of schedule and they refuse to delay it when an issue comes up.

Being ahead of schedule doesn't mean shit in terms of quality as for all we know they hit all their deadlines prior to running into issues. So I don't doubt what they saw in development with what their goals where to completion, simply didn't like the result at launch (or til dis day lol). So its hard to know what they meant by any of that. You can aim for certain goals with certain dates and still ignore quality, so its hard to know what that person even meant by a lot of that lol

They simply can't make some season 2 for all 2022 with just a update team and with no more Star Wars by DICE and now no more Mirror's Edge, it sounds more likely that the other half of DICE and DICE LA are indeed just making season 2 and another half is starting the next BF.

If the last few patches and season 1 show what the majority of the team if capable of, the game will slowly die off.

Probably. I don't know if any of that stuff can save any of this, I don't even think some Free To Play thing can save this.

But compared with what previous BF titles received as DLC, this game will never have the content which is necessary for the game to survive. They will complete year 1 with the most barebones content they need to deliver thanks to the pre-orders and after that it's done. Not even Portal will save this game and I'm not even gonna start on the shitty BR mode they tried to add.

Agreed. Its much more then just adding content to a sound base, they are redesigning whole ass maps lol I'll be surprised if we get season 2 this year, I'd be shocked if we get something next year like a new map. If that happens, it sounds like it really is a PR thing to market the next BF and get feedback to have those changes fit the new BF during its core development or something.

At this point, I'm just waiting for EA to take DICE to the back of the shack.

lol yessssssssssssss! I think they likely will still do another BF with the new leadership and if that one flops, no coming back tbh.

A DICE with no Mirror's Edge, no Star Wars and new director, designer, leadership etc fucking up a BF with more time to make basically means there would be no saving this IP with all those factors out of the way.....besides EA anyway lol Biggest factor that I feel likely would negatively impact the title. So who knows how any of this will turn out.

The next BF reveal is going to be a fucking wild one lol The more crazy it looks, the more comments will question when the other shoe will drop. They'll need to give a free fucking copy to all 2042 owners, BF4 and BF3 maps included lol zero MTX, but this is EA we are talking about lol As sad as it sounds, I don't really believe even all that would correct this. Many love saying some BF4 or BF3 remake and i just don't see that changing a lot of this.
 

Alex11

Member
Mirror's Edge was literally the only thing EA made that I gave a damn about. What a shame.

Sure Catalyst had it's flaws, because everyone at the time thought an open world Mirror's Edge was a good idea. I get that it's not a sales monster, but that IP had a soul that made their studio somewhat relevant to me.

I still regularly listen to music arrangements of its soundtrack on YouTube just to zone out when the vibe is right.
Yeah, it really has so much soul this IP, and I really don't think it needs to be a sales monster, I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, it isn't the type a game to invest that much in. It isn't a game heavy on the cutscenes-IMO it doesn't really need them-the first one had those 2D between missions, doesn't require to be a beast in term of graphics, the aesthetic and art was the main attraction.
For me, this minimalist approach was what hooked me in, the flow the game had, without too many distractions from cut scenes or exposition and whatnot. That feeling of being almost alone on the rooftops of that huge city, just surreal.
 

Kenneth Haight

Gold Member
Dice have one last chance, maybe. So glad I didn’t buy this abomination. I was very close. I played a few rounds of the beta and I liked it but after seeing the final game……..
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Makes sense in the games as platform future we're headed towards.

Their #1 priority needs to be figuring out how to make the next Battlefield a success. All hands on deck...
 

Fox Mulder

Member
Who even wants mirrors edge style games from these hacks anymore? Battlefield has been broken dogshit for multiple games now.
 

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

EA DICE is one of three EA studios that have been tasked with establishing the future of EA's shooter series. DICE was to focus on the multiplayer aspect. Ridgeline Games -- the new team led by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto in Seattle -- is building the single-player campaign. Meanwhile, LA-based Ripple Effect is creating a completely different Battlefield experience.

The change here is DICE is expanding its team to help Ridgeline Games in the creation of that single-player adventure.

“Our decision to build out our single-player team here at DICE is a proactive approach that arms our global teams with the resources they need early on as we look ahead to the next Battlefield experience," said Coutaz. "We have an immense amount of strength and opportunity within our three global studios, with each team bringing their own set of deep franchise experiences. Now, we are able to expand opportunities and benefit from new talent that will help Ridgeline write the next chapter for the franchise.”

Marcus Lehto added: “Our vision coupled with their experience with the franchise is going to see us build a single-player campaign that will engage players in new ways while also remaining true to the classic elements of what makes Battlefield truly unique.”
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
BattleFail.

Even worse is that BF games come out every 2 or 3 years. They are stretching out their failing franchise over years when they could refocus and churn out different games (or even new IPs) in the same time frames.

EA DICE is one of three EA studios that have been tasked with establishing the future of EA's shooter series. DICE was to focus on the multiplayer aspect. Ridgeline Games -- the new team led by Halo co-creator Marcus Lehto in Seattle -- is building the single-player campaign. Meanwhile, LA-based Ripple Effect is creating a completely different Battlefield experience.

The change here is DICE is expanding its team to help Ridgeline Games in the creation of that single-player adventure.

“Our decision to build out our single-player team here at DICE is a proactive approach that arms our global teams with the resources they need early on as we look ahead to the next Battlefield experience," said Coutaz. "We have an immense amount of strength and opportunity within our three global studios, with each team bringing their own set of deep franchise experiences. Now, we are able to expand opportunities and benefit from new talent that will help Ridgeline write the next chapter for the franchise.”

Marcus Lehto added: “Our vision coupled with their experience with the franchise is going to see us build a single-player campaign that will engage players in new ways while also remaining true to the classic elements of what makes Battlefield truly unique.”
I dont think the average shooter fan even cares about SP. Nice to have, but most gamers will go direct to MP. Even for gamers who enjoy SP, it's what? 6 hour campaign? And then off to MP for 60 or 160 hours of gaming.

Considering how bad 2042 was at launch, they should be focusing on funneling resources on a polished MP first.

Some of the weird shit I saw in videos I've never seen in my life.... that issue where if there's too many enemies some of your shots dont register hitting them. Only some enemies could get hit if they are bunched up. Its like the game engine is overloaded and cant handle it. Thats got to be the most basic FUBAR Ive ever seen in a shooter. Not sure if they ever fixed that issue.
 
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wipeout364

Member
I think they’ve abandoned 2042 and are just running the PR train to milk what few players they have left.
They want to be a “powerhouse” in three years? Yeah, I’m guessing that nearly coincides with the next Battlefield release, where 2042 will be shutdown unceremoniously. At least they’re not cancelling their own road map like they did with Battlefield V. So, you know, there’s that.
Battlefield 2042 is in the best shape it’s been since launch. If you haven’t played it lately and are a fan of battlefield I seriously recommend you give it some time. It’s becoming a serious turnaround story like No man’s Sky.
 

ZehDon

Member
Battlefield 2042 is in the best shape it’s been since launch. If you haven’t played it lately and are a fan of battlefield I seriously recommend you give it some time. It’s becoming a serious turnaround story like No man’s Sky.
That's true every day.

And unfortunately, with all the new games released from then till now, most folks aren't going to revisit a game in the hopes that its now the game that it should've been eighteen months ago. Doubly so when the game launched so fundamentally broken, like 2042. Is it good now? Maybe - but Modern Warfare II delivered, so, that's what I play with my friends. Better luck next time, EA.
 
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Tams

Gold Member
Battlefield 2042 is in the best shape it’s been since launch. If you haven’t played it lately and are a fan of battlefield I seriously recommend you give it some time. It’s becoming a serious turnaround story like No man’s Sky.

That's hugely discredits and is very disrespectful to Hello Games.

What DICE have done to Battlefield 2042 is in no way comparable to what Hello Games have done to No Man's Sky.

And Hello Games still have a deserved tarnished reputation despite all that.
 
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I never heard this quote until this thread was bumped.
I’m sad that there might not be another Mirror’s Edge. I had great fun with both games. 😔
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
And Hello Games still have a deserved tarnished reputation despite all that.
And they should.

Any game studio making a broken or misleading game should always be held to the fire.

If someone buys a new car or TV and it's constantly broken needing repairs, or it's missing features until an OS patch, it makes no difference to me if the product is in a good state 2 or 3 years later.

It was still bad the first year or two. And every person would hold them accountable. Nobody would say "Hey, the first year was shit but it's now good. So ya, all is forgiven"

NMS was in a league of it's own for shadiness as Sean Murray was a yes-man saying yes to every feature or question asked of him. And the game launched with hardly any of them.
 
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Marcus Lehto added: “Our vision coupled with their experience with the franchise is going to see us build a single-player campaign that will engage players in new ways while also remaining true to the classic elements of what makes Battlefield truly unique.”
Who the fuck is steering this ship?!
 

wipeout364

Member
That's true every day.

And unfortunately, with all the new games released from then till now, most folks aren't going to revisit a game in the hopes that its now the game that it should've been eighteen months ago. Doubly so when the game launched so fundamentally broken, like 2042. Is it good now? Maybe - but Modern Warfare II delivered, so, that's what I play with my friends. Better luck next time, EA.
Modern warfare is a completely different experience. I agree Modern warfare is great but I think Battlefield can turn things around, it has improved its steam player count each month since it’s low point and the game probably has a significant presence on Epic and EA online but we don’t know so I am not disputing they serious shot themselves in the foot at launch.
That's hugely discredits and is very disrespectful to Hello Games.

What DICE have done to Battlefield 2042 is in now easy comparable to what Hello Games have don't to No Man's Sky.

And Hello Games still have a deserved tarnished reputation despite all that
I am not sure I understand. Turning around a multiplayer shooter is less work than a single player procedurally generated game? I don’t follow your argument.

DICE has reworked the net code improving hit detection, worked out many of the glitches and weird physics, rebuilt almost every launch map, continually added weapons, vehicles and operators without breaking the game again. The new maps are outstanding and some of the best I’ve played in Battlefield and they are not done, the incoming season 4 looks great.
 

Klosshufvud

Member
Another example of a dev that hired people based on “equality”, rather than hiring the more qualified individuals 🤷‍♂️
Just reading the credits, I'm fairly confident the majority of the dev team is white male. There is outsourcing done sure but mainly to DICE LA. And oursourcing is never about equality anyways.

What I've read about DICE studio culture is just arrogant devs that think themselves above criticism.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Modern warfare is a completely different experience. I agree Modern warfare is great but I think Battlefield can turn things around, it has improved its steam player count each month since it’s low point and the game probably has a significant presence on Epic and EA online but we don’t know so I am not disputing they serious shot themselves in the foot at launch.

I am not sure I understand. Turning around a multiplayer shooter is less work than a single player procedurally generated game? I don’t follow your argument.

DICE has reworked the net code improving hit detection, worked out many of the glitches and weird physics, rebuilt almost every launch map, continually added weapons, vehicles and operators without breaking the game again. The new maps are outstanding and some of the best I’ve played in Battlefield and they are not done, the incoming season 4 looks great.
The thing is, most gamers move on to other games. It makes no difference how great a patched up a game is. Most games will thin out over time. Only some games that have huge supported communities like LOL, Counterstrike, Minecraft etc.... can maintain or grow their user base over time.

Even COD thins out. Every day that passes, the older games thin out more and more.

Most gamers wont give a game a second look a year later. Although there are exceptions. I think RS Siege released to meh reviews and content. But that game picked up steam as it got updated. So it can happen. But for most games, it wont.
 

CGNoire

Member
Catalyst reaked.

ME needs to be linear and about precision. Also the world of glass aka (kitbashed/hobbled together design of Catalyst) made no sense and had zero sense of place. Dont get me started on how they gutted the "realistic" momentum and running physics of OG into some gamified hybred.

If there not willing to address the above issues then its better it remains dead.
 

EDMIX

Member
stop...lol

I don't care how much some of you claim that shit adds something to BF.

Save the money and put it towards the MP.

All the single player stuff has always been bad in BF and barely anyone plays it to justify. They got it right removing it and just keeping BF a MP only IP.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
stop...lol

I don't care how much some of you claim that shit adds something to BF.

Save the money and put it towards the MP.

All the single player stuff has always been bad in BF and barely anyone plays it to justify. They got it right removing it and just keeping BF a MP only IP.
Crazy.

2042 got grilled for having shit MP and polish. And the first thing they promote for their next BF game is SP mode.
 
Catalyst reaked.

ME needs to be linear and about precision. Also the world of glass aka (kitbashed/hobbled together design of Catalyst) made no sense and had zero sense of place. Dont get me started on how they gutted the "realistic" momentum and running physics of OG into some gamified hybred.

If there not willing to address the above issues then its better it remains dead.
I don't necessarily agree with your take on Catalyst, because I actually liked it quite a bit, but I can understand your frustration.

I think this statement from Dice just reflects my big concern in the industry right now, that everyone is getting bought out and made a part of gigantic conglomerates and so everyone is expected to make the stock prices go up, which means millions upon millions of profit, leaving no room for smaller, more unique, modestly profitable projects. So everything has to be a looter shooter, or GaAS, or a realistic military shooter, where the stockholders can get you to buy the game once and then keep buying battle passes, microtransactions, and lootboxes. Of course the problem them becomes, if you're the new guy, you have to increase your budget to astronomical proportions in order to compete in the market, which leads to studios getting shut down if games fail.
 

Tams

Gold Member
And they should.

Any game studio making a broken or misleading game should always be held to the fire.

If someone buys a new car or TV and it's constantly broken needing repairs, or it's missing features until an OS patch, it makes no difference to me if the product is in a good state 2 or 3 years later.

It was still bad the first year or two. And every person would hold them accountable. Nobody would say "Hey, the first year was shit but it's now good. So ya, all is forgiven"

NMS was in a league of it's own for shadiness as Sean Murray was a yes-man saying yes to every feature or question asked of him. And the game launched with hardly any of them.

Well, yeah, hence why I called it 'deserved'.
 

Tams

Gold Member
Modern warfare is a completely different experience. I agree Modern warfare is great but I think Battlefield can turn things around, it has improved its steam player count each month since it’s low point and the game probably has a significant presence on Epic and EA online but we don’t know so I am not disputing they serious shot themselves in the foot at launch.

I am not sure I understand. Turning around a multiplayer shooter is less work than a single player procedurally generated game? I don’t follow your argument.

DICE has reworked the net code improving hit detection, worked out many of the glitches and weird physics, rebuilt almost every launch map, continually added weapons, vehicles and operators without breaking the game again. The new maps are outstanding and some of the best I’ve played in Battlefield and they are not done, the incoming season 4 looks great.

Because almost all they did is fix stuff they broke. At least Hello Games added significant changes and new features, even if a lot of them were promised at launch. And Hello Games are a much smaller outfit.

And let's be clear, both have been extremely shitty in their practice. Hello Games just have more excuses that make sense and are more tolerable.
 

SHA

Member
Making immature comments about what's worth his time, he doesn't understand how games sell , is he ? he should learn what he says matters the hard way.
 
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