Meta CEO Zuckerberg Says AI Agent Development Has Slowed Despite Massive AI Investment 
Elon Musk Says Anthropic Leads AI Race as Claude Models Challenge OpenAI 
AI Memory Chip Shortage Likely to Persist Despite Korea Investment Boom, Nomura Says 
Foxconn Q2 Revenue Surges Nearly 40% on Strong AI Server Demand 
SK Hynix’s $28B U.S. IPO Draws Strong Demand as AI Chip Boom Fuels Investor Interest 
Zhipu AI Stock Jumps on Report of Custom AI Chip Development Plans 
Kioxia Bets on AI Memory Boom With Next-Gen NAND Production in Japan 
Chinese Chip Stocks Jump as Apple Reportedly Tests CXMT Memory Chips for China Devices 
Apple Tests China's CXMT Memory Chips as DRAM Maker Gains Global Market Share 
Kuaishou Stock Jumps as Kling AI Secures $2 Billion Funding Round 
China 618 Smartphone Sales Drop 13% as Higher Prices Hurt Demand, Huawei Gains Market Share 
Citi Raises TSMC Price Target as AI Chip Demand Strengthens Growth Outlook 
SpaceX Stock Draws Bullish Wall Street Coverage Ahead of Nasdaq-100 Inclusion 
SK Hynix’s $28 Billion U.S. Share Sale Draws Massive Demand Amid AI Chip Boom 
Samsung Q2 Profit Seen Soaring as AI Memory Demand Keeps Chip Prices Elevated 
EA announced major changes in some of its studios involved with the development of the "Battlefield" franchise. Aside from having a new leader in Respawn Entertainment, co-founder Vince Zampella, the company also teased at expanding "Battlefield 2042" and creating a universe for the first-person shooter series with interwoven narrative.
DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson announced on Thursday that he is leaving the studio to pursue his "new adventure." He will be replaced by former Ubisoft Annecy studio director Rebecka Coutaz.
EA also confirmed this week that Zampella had been appointed as the new overall leader of the "Battlefield" franchise, while "Halo" co-creator Marcus Lehto is heading a new Seattle-based development team to focus on the storytelling aspect of the series. Ripple Effect, formerly DICE LA, is also confirmed to continue working on Battlefield Portal after its introduction in "Battlefield 2042" last month.
GameSpot reports that these major organizational changes are part of EA's plan to create a "Battlefield" universe. The new "Battlefield" boss confirmed that DICE will "continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042." Part of that plan is to explore new "experiences and business models" to expand on what the studio delivered last month.
Details about the planned "Battlefield" universe and how it will translate to "Battlefield 2042" and future games are still unclear. But Zampella said, "In this universe, the world is interconnected with shared characters and narrative." And the new team led by Lehto will helm that "interconnected narrative" for the "Battlefield" universe. Meanwhile, Ripple Effect's plans to expand Battlefield Portal are still under wraps.
Zampella also said they would explore new business models as part of this planned "Battlefield" universe, and a free-to-play game seems to be one of the likely options.
The gaming industry saw a trend in AAA free-to-play online multiplayer games in recent years, and EA has a successful entry in this department with Respawn's "Apex Legends." CEO Andrew Wilson also stated during EA's Q2 2022 earnings call last month that this kind of business model would fit nicely with the "Battlefield" franchise. However, it might take a while before this translates to an actual game release. "free-to-play will make sense for the franchise, but it's not the focus right now," Wilson said.
