DICE: It Takes 6-12 Months to Create a New Battlefield Map

DICE says it takes them 6-12 months to make a new Battlefield map, "Father of Battlefield" Lars Gustavsson "jumping around" after seeing Battlefield 2042's new mode.

[Runechaz]

so start now... we need more..

[excaliburps]

That Battlefield Hub rumor if true, means there are extra maps available outside or what’s announced.

[Nitrowolf2]

Yeah rumor has it that BF Hub has a ton more of unannounced maps

[gamesftw250]

EA will find some way to mess it up. don't get your hopes up

[ikarodemon]

KKKK always!

[NeoGamer232]

6-12 months is elapsed time. I am sure it doesn't take all the devs/designers 6-12 months.

I would expect there is a ton of testing in maps to ensure they are balanced and people can't get tactical advantages simply by locations.

[Runechaz]

Since when did Dice test something they made..

[1nsomniac]

…It takes up to 12 months for a large team of developers to make one single mp level.

Is no one going to call them out on what absolute bs they’re talking or are they just happy to publicly proclaim they’re completely incompetent!?

[Teflon02]

They're probably not bs'n but not giving the full detail behind it. The planning stage to the day it releases or okay for release could take 6 months but they're probably working on multiple stages at once. So it does take the 6 months but they're still getting more than 2 a year done because they're not literally working on 1 map that whole time. There's alot that's being done around it

[Darkborn]

That's my take. This doesn't literally mean they make one map a year. It means it can take 6-12 months to make one map, but multiple maps are being done at a time as well as other components.

[excaliburps]

This makes a lot of sense. And given how HUGE Battlefield maps are, it will take months. They have to factor in physics, destructibility too. It's not like a corridor where you can just place cover and that's it (a la COD). You have destruction, levolution, etc.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

Tbh man, your comment is a bit ignorant but I don't think you've picked this information up quite right. They develop and iterate on these maps CONCURRENTLY for 6-12 months.

This is like complaining that it took Insomniac a year to fully complete a "single" swinging animation in Spider-Man. So what, you know? These things are usually not done one by one and require iteration and play testing.

[Dandizzle]

Absolutely agree. This is a bonkers statement from DICE aimed at calming a community that is rightly cautious and critical but ultimately those who this statement is aimed at also are totally ignorant about what AAA development is like much less AAA development at place like EA.

[--Onilink--]

One battlefield level is easily 5-6 (if not more) regular levels in size for an arena MP game, it makes perfect sense for it to take that amount of time to make one. And also why it never made sense to me when people were complaining that 2042 will launch with “only” about 7

[1nsomniac]

Has anyone replying that 12 months is normal, ever in their lifetime created a map for a game before?? I'm absolutely 100% confident the answer is no... Let me help you, It's not!

[KyRo]

Let's not forget some of this games multiplayer maps are the size of certain games BR modes. A single episode of Family Guy takes a year to finish, does that mean you wait that long for a new episode? No. They work on multiple episodes/maps at once so they come out together. It seems you have very little knowledge on creative process.

[OMGitzThatGuy]

Getting us prepped for 3-4 maps on release.

[--Onilink--]

Didnt they say it would be like 6-7?

[OMGitzThatGuy]

I must have missed that memo, hopefully no day night reskins are counted.

[zero_jp]

Please don’t tell me this will be another Battlefield V launching with a minimal amount of maps again.

Because there should be 10 maps minimum at launch and then take the count up from there over time.

They’ve literally got multiple studios working on this game. No one should except any of their explanations or excuses this time around.

BF1 and BF4 had no issues pumping maps out left, right, and center. Nor did BF3. So DICE better have loads of content ready to go on day one or else.

[KyuubiRogue]

They've confirmed that there will be 7 maps for bf2042 on launch.

Then there's rumors of bf hub which will add older fan favorite maps but expanded for the current player size. But idk if that's on launch or later since its a rumor.

[--Onilink--]

10 maps of the size of a battlefield map in nowhere near comparable to 10 maps in a regular arena shooter

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

BF 2042 should be a free-to-play title.

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

Whilst Call of Duty which has no ragdoll tech, no destruction, small player counts, uses a 15+ year old engine should be buy to play?

[DigitalDaniel]

Lots of armchair devs in here lol. What do you know about how much time it takes to develop a map ?
Let's not listen to the ones who actually do make games for a living. No, let's listen to "random guy" on N4G. He got it all sorted out you see.

[Inverno]

If BF42 has more than 2 maps then they're lying. BFV came out in 2018 and assuming they they took some time off after release and also waited to see whether or not sales took off then 2042 has been in development for less than than 2 years

[Dandizzle]

I have worked on multiplayer shooters and with and around environment artists for AAA games for years now. 6-12 months is absurd. So they are saying it can take up to a YEAR to make the map????!!! Ok if this was a smaller indie studio I can understand limited resources. BUT EA and Battlefield.... really?

What this shows is how much corporate bs is involved with every executive and producer and everyone in between farting out their opinion. Guess what here is a little inside look.... Most of the people who work on these types of games either A) don't even play or have time to play games at all, or B) don't play FPS games at all. Whats funny is the people who don't play games are the ones who gotta fart and demand their opinion the loudest.

A team of 6 environment artists of reasonable skill should be able to have a Map playable by the community within 3 months MAX.

Because lets remind ourselves, is battlefield known for putting super flawless maps the first go around. NO. So according to DICE it can take up to a year for a buggy ass map missing various basic collision (due to auto generated terrain mostly).

Corporate bullshit at it's finest, what better sign of a way over bloated studio just milking the EA tit. Can I blame them? Not at all. I bet they get paid not very much and only a select few in the studio actually make any decent money.

[Destiny1080]

14 years for 14 maps

[Firehazard5]

Sounds like a staffing issue. Are there really no game developers willing to just make maps? Literally any other franchise is filled with people who make maps for free on steam workshop. Dice should go to GDC and look around. It's not like EA doesn't have the budget to delegate this sort of thing.