New 'Battlefield' game set for 2018 release

Promotional photo for "Battlefield: Bad Company 2."EA DICE

BioWare's "Anthem" has been delayed to an early 2019 release. Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that a new title in the "Battlefield" series will be released this year in its place.

In a recent earnings call with EA's chief financial officer (CFO) Blake Jorgensen, EA denies all news of a lack of resources for its multiple titles, and the development of "Anthem" being behind schedule. "It's not a delay. People are trying to create a story," he tells the Wall Street Journal. According to Jorgensen, EA plans to release a new "Battlefield" title this Oct. 2018. EA has put off the release of "Anthem" to improve the game, and release it in a "quieter quarter" with fewer EA titles.

Aside from the October target release, no other official information has been divulged, though rumors circulate about the new game's working title, "Battlefield: Bad Company 3." EA has not yet announced on which platforms the game will be released.

News surrounding EA and BioWare titles has been resounding as of late, with the delay for "Anthem" to 2019 confirmed. Various reasons have been reported to be the cause behind the delays, including development of a new "Dragon Age" title, and management of "Star Wars: The Old Republic." The Nov. 2017 release of "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" that reportedly underperformed in sales and was being revamped also caused quite a stir.

EA previously reported that the bulk of their teams are currently still hard at work on "Anthem," yet news on other titles state otherwise. "Star Wars: Battlefront 2" fell short of projected sales by $1 million copies, which caused EA to overhaul its platform and revert back to micro-transactions and an in-game cash shop. EA was criticized heavily for the action, and responded by saying it believes that micro-transactions can work well for a game, if it is done right.