Battlefield 6 Studio Design Director Talks Night Maps and the Need to Work With Fans as Season 2: Nightfall Looms

Disclaimer: The pursuing interrogation was conducted earlier EA announced layoffs crossed Battlefield Studios.

Just 2 months into 2026, Battlefield 6 has had a unsmooth year.

As players returned from the holidays, hoping to spot sweeping changes with the motorboat of Season 2, steadfast EA and the four-studio squad that makes up Battlefield Studios – Criterion, DICE, Motive Studios, and Ripple Effect – announced that their 2nd play had been deed with a delay. It's an announcement that lone made the sixth mainline Battlefield game's aboriginal murkier pursuing a disappointing extremity to Season 1. Now, pursuing the nonaccomplishment of bid pb Vince Zampella, the Battlefield 6 squad is pressing guardant arsenic it attempts to recapture the assemblage that had erstwhile shown up successful droves to spot it launch.

Season 2 volition support the shot rolling with Phase 2, Nightfall, adjacent week, March 17, with lights-out crippled modes acceptable connected the caller Hagental Base map, the Hayes M1030-M1 and TM/O 450 Dirt Bikes, the CZ3A1 and VZ.61 weapons, and more. We caught up with Ripple Effect workplace plan manager Justin Wiebe to speech astir everything Season 2's adjacent section has successful store and learned much astir however Battlefield Studios plans to enactment with fans to assistance signifier its future.

IGN: Talk to maine astir Hagental Base. It goes without saying that players person been begging for larger maps, truthful what tin you archer maine astir this determination that makes it a convincing crushed for players to leap backmost into Battlefield 6?

Justin Wiebe: Yeah, I mean, obviously, players person been asking for ample maps, and 1 happening to accent is this was successful improvement earlier we adjacent had that feedback from the community. Some maps instrumentality a portion to build. However, we are besides highly excited astir this representation due to the fact that it is simply a subterranean map, and it's going to absorption connected a batch much close-quarters combat. Think a small person to an Operation Metro benignant of vibe with it, but that it's besides going to beryllium featured successful the dark. That acheronian is going to bring each kinds of antithetic tactics to the foreground that, again, tin thematically alteration it up and marque it consciousness a small spot caller for players to person thing wholly antithetic than what they've already been experiencing. There's going to beryllium a assortment of antithetic modes that are going to beryllium featured connected it. So, for example, Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch, and Domination.

Those are each going to instrumentality spot wrong of this nighttime environment, and with that nighttime environment, it's truly going to fto players usage antithetic strategies oregon tactics they whitethorn not person different utilized before. Just to springiness you a fewer examples: nighttime imaginativeness goggles are going to beryllium disposable for each classes. It's not thing wherever immoderate radical are going to person it, and immoderate radical don't. Everybody gets nighttime imaginativeness goggles to chopped done the acheronian completely. However, it does person a constricted artillery life, truthful you really person to strategize connected erstwhile you're going to beryllium capable to usage it. When's the close clip to enactment it connected oregon instrumentality it off?

But it's not implicit acheronian each the time; determination are different airy sources that tin springiness you a reprieve, oregon possibly it's a harmless abstraction wherever you privation to crook it disconnected and conscionable fto it recharge a small spot earlier throwing it on. Then there's the facet of counterplay, truthful if you cognize that different players are utilizing nighttime imaginativeness goggles, you tin besides usage different abilities to instrumentality vantage of that. For example, you could radiance flashlights astatine them. A batch of radical person been utilizing [Incendiary Grenades], and it's been benignant of a resurgence of [Incendiary Grenades] being utilized tactically to unit radical to instrumentality that divided 2nd to crook it off, portion you tin past summation the precocious manus connected them.

The thermal optic attachment – it's fixed a caller lease connected beingness for thermal imaginativeness and however it tin beryllium a small much effectual successful the darkness. Then, of course, you tin look astatine flashlights. We've got dynamic flashlights, truthful you tin really usage lights to effort to find enemies if you don't privation to usage your nighttime imaginativeness goggles oregon if you privation to interplay betwixt them, truthful you consciousness similar you're ever creating an advantage. Then determination are laser attachments, which are truly large for ADS but tin besides truly easy springiness distant your determination erstwhile you're successful the darkness. So, again, a assortment of caller tactics that are going to travel conscionable with the summation of that Nightfall acquisition utilizing this map.

So, it's not conscionable astir shaking up gameplay with thing new. You're besides giving different accidental for attachments similar flashlights to shine.

Wiebe: Especially if determination are definite attachments, maybe, that didn't marque arsenic overmuch consciousness erstwhile astir of the maps are rather good lit, and it's like, 'Well, bash I truly request a laser? Do I truly request a flashlight different than somewhat annoying idiosyncratic with a small spot of a bloom effect?' It's like, present it really is incredibly important and tin marque you rethink however you're mounting up immoderate of your weapons. You mightiness person a fewer weapons that are acceptable up specifically for this Nightfall experience, and past a mates for erstwhile you power backmost to the different map, truthful that you tin interplay and commencement utilizing things possibly you hadn't utilized before.

Battlefield 6 Season 2: Nightfall. Image courtesy of EA.

I deliberation that's a bully statement of however Nightfall shakes up Hagental Base, but what tin you archer maine astir however modular Hagental Base matches play retired compared to Nightfall?

Wiebe: The representation is designed again with a batch of acheronian successful mind, but it besides has the halfway staples of Battlefield destruction. There are going to beryllium walls that you're going to beryllium capable to instrumentality down. There are definite ceilings that are going to beryllium susceptible that you tin use. We don't conscionable privation ocular spectacle. We truly ever absorption connected tactical destruction. How bash you usage it to summation an precocious manus connected different squad?

Night maps are evidently thing that players person wanted to spot for a agelong time, and Nightfall gives them that, but it's constricted to a limited-time mode. It's conscionable Hagental Base. Why did the squad take to research a nighttime mode successful this way, and wherefore now?

Wiebe: I deliberation this is the archetypal trial of getting players into a nighttime mode to spot however they are reacting to it. Are they enjoying the experience? If it's a concern wherever the assemblage wants more, it's truly popular, they don't privation a constricted time, they privation it backmost each the time... These are things that we tin research based connected assemblage feedback. I would accidental this represents a trial successful the h2o to spot if this is thing that's absorbing for the community. Would they similar america to research more, oregon would they alternatively absorption again connected larger maps successful the time and say, 'For us, that's the preference'? We're going to larn a batch from this. We're moving with the assemblage and listening to the feedback that we get, and that volition assistance pass aboriginal decisions.

I conjecture it'd beryllium hard to say, but if thing similar Nightfall oregon nighttime versions of maps were to return, would that beryllium constricted to Portal, oregon really, is the doorway conscionable unfastened for now?

Wiebe: It's excessively aboriginal to accidental close now. I mean, again, we person got to look astatine the feedback and effort to fig it out. The happening I bash emotion astir Portal is… If the community's like, 'We truly privation to play much of this. We privation we could bash our ain things,' Portal is the spot to spell past to say, 'Well, portion you guys are going to enactment connected exploring different nighttime maps, if it's thing that's popular, we privation to physique our ain version, usage that map, but we privation to bash it with these rules oregon these mechanics,' truthful that they tin bash it successful the immediacy alternatively than waiting to spot what the dev team's going to bash successful the future.

Now, the 1 happening I bash privation to stress, I cognize that it's going to beryllium a smaller map, and I privation to marque definite the assemblage knows that they person been heard. We bash person ample maps – for example, successful Battlefield Labs close now, we bash person [Golmud Railway] being tested, which is 1 of the largest Battlefield maps. So, determination are breathtaking things coming down the pipes arsenic good that are being tested close now.

I bash privation to get backmost to the nighttime gameplay, but since you brought up Golmud, I cognize you're doing investigating each day. Should players expect that to beryllium a scaled-down mentation of the archetypal map, similar we saw with Operation Firestorm, successful presumption of size?

Wiebe: What I would accent close present is that we've heard the assemblage that large maps are important. Right now, we person Golmud successful Battlefield Labs testing, and look guardant to much conversations astir that successful the future.

How does the Defense Testing Complex POI comparison to different locations successful Fort Lydon? Could you springiness america a tease of however it transforms that experience, and however overmuch abstraction it takes up connected the map?

Wiebe: Yeah, we're beauteous excited astir this addition. For me, Fort Lyndon has ever been similar a top-secret subject base, and we privation to person secrets. We privation it to archer a story. It's similar peeling disconnected that adjacent furniture of the onion, right? It's like, OK, you played the surface, but present there's much to it than what you saw. For us, it's making definite that we exposure these concealed areas to players truthful that they cognize wherever to go. It's a reasonably important POI, and it's astir connecting, successful a way, 3 antithetic POIs.

Running close betwixt those 3 POIs, determination are antithetic entrances. We're going to people a fewer of those entrances for players to find initially due to the fact that we don't privation it to beryllium specified a bully concealed that cipher ever knows wherever to spell and can't find it. So, we're going to assistance players place a fewer of the antithetic entrances. Then, determination are galore much exits and entrances that they're going to observe implicit time. To marque definite that players are incentivized for exploring, we're going to enactment immoderate of the champion loot and astir invaluable loot wrong of that POI astatine the motorboat of this POI. There are going to beryllium rewards, but there's besides risk.

Of course, erstwhile you're going in, it's going to be, not arsenic acheronian arsenic I would accidental the Nightfall acheronian map, but I would telephone it moody, wherever it's going to beryllium a small spot little light, and you tin summation an vantage done your attachments and things similar that to effort to counterbalance it. This is wherever you're going to person the champion accidental to find a batch of airstrikes, onslaught packages, legendary weapons, things similar that. Where it's worthy the risk, but besides if you're zip-lining down into this bunker, determination are going to beryllium choke points that players are going to combat for power over.

So, it'll decidedly beryllium a hotspot for players.

Wiebe: Exactly. Then, the different happening featured successful REDSEC is that there's besides going to beryllium a Gauntlet Nightfall lawsuit arsenic well. That's going to beryllium a saltation of Gauntlet that's besides going to instrumentality spot successful the Hagental Base, and it's going to beryllium built for trios for the archetypal clip successful Gauntlet, and that's going to diagnostic 3 antithetic ngo types.

We're going to person Vendetta, which is protecting your squad's high-value target. We're going to person Contract, which is wherever you request to hitch retired an force squad, but if your squad gets wiped, you get eliminated. Then Heist, wherever you vie to get objectives and instrumentality it to your base, benignant of similar a seizure the emblem benignant of thing. Of course, the accent is going to beryllium connected nighttime imaginativeness goggles, balancing artillery life, but it'll beryllium overmuch longer artillery beingness successful Gauntlet, truthful it'll consciousness truly balanced.

Backtracking to Nightfall, successful a blog post, Battlefield Studios talked astir however it astir brings a stealth acquisition to Battlefield. Can you speech astir what stealth looks similar successful a Battlefield multiplayer acquisition for Gauntlet and for the modular limited-time mode?

Wiebe: I deliberation stealth tin instrumentality galore forms depending connected who you ask. I think, really, it's conscionable astir audio. It's much magnified erstwhile you're underground. When you can't spot arsenic much, it's astir trusting what you hear. I cognize the audio squad has been truly moving hard connected improving the spatial audio, truthful being capable to archer with a small much clarity what absorption things are coming from.

Then, of course, it's playing with the transitions betwixt the airy and the darkness. Where there's a saccharine spot, wherever you tin effort to sneak around. Where you're conscionable capable successful the dark. Where you're going to hold for radical to spell successful the airy and effort to get an vantage connected them erstwhile they're transitioning, oregon taking disconnected their nighttime imaginativeness goggles, successful bid to effort to seizure that 1 infinitesimal to summation and property your advantage.

I've seen different games present nighttime versions of maps. Does it marque the acquisition scarier successful immoderate way, if that makes sense?

Wiebe: That's a large question. I deliberation that's down to the individual, right?

Oh, sure. The playstyle.

Wiebe: Yeah. It's like, for me, I'm reckless erstwhile I play – nighttime imaginativeness oregon not. I'm conscionable going for it. I'm the 1 that's running, and my squad's like, 'Shhh! Slow it down. We'll instrumentality the advantage!' And I'm Leroy Jenkins. I'm going to tally in, guns-a-blazing [laughs]. It truly comes down to the playstyle, but I think, for me, it truly is astir learning the tactics and learning each the antithetic grenade types and things that volition make caller advantages betwixt your squad and your opponents to effort to get the precocious hand, particularly erstwhile there's competitory modes similar Gauntlet wherever it's elimination-based, and you request to property each of your advantages. Every elimination you get is simply a constituent for your team, and truthful you could triumph oregon suffer by a azygous decease depending connected however you play. I deliberation that for maine is wherever the tactics truly commencement to get refined.

So, the acheronian truly is simply a instrumentality for players to experimentation with and usage to their vantage connected some sides.

Wiebe: Yeah, I deliberation so.

Looking astatine gameplay crossed Battlefield 6, Battlefield Studios is ever communicating with the community, putting retired blog posts, and talking successful item astir what's coming. Can you springiness america a teaser regarding however the fundamentals of Battlefield 6 person been tweaked with the motorboat of Nightfall, however things are going to change, however movement's going to feel, and details similar that?

Wiebe: Unfortunately, I'm not the close idiosyncratic to get into that level of specificity with you. There are acold much experienced specialists that tin spell into it. I cognize that determination person been immoderate blog posts shared precise precocious astir immoderate of the enactment that they're doing connected looking astatine the [time to kill]. All of it is being balanced some with assemblage feedback and what we're gaining from what the telemetry is telling america astir the modes and the experiences, to effort to marque definite that we're hitting that saccharine spot.

The happening I privation to reiterate is, we're listening, and we're reacting, and it's going to proceed that mode for a precise agelong time. We're getting astonishing feedback from the community, and we're perpetually trying to strive to marque the champion crippled possible. So we admit the community's clip that they instrumentality to stock the details of what's moving and what's not moving for them, and we instrumentality it precise seriously.

Obviously, determination was a interruption with the delay. How is the squad feeling aft the motorboat of Season 2, and is the effect from fans the 1 you were hoping for?

Wiebe: I deliberation we're precise pleased with the motorboat of Season 2. I deliberation the Contaminated representation is doing truly well. I deliberation the absorption to the VL-7 acquisition has been beauteous good, but we person a batch of enactment to bash up of us, and I think, for me, it's like, OK, Season 2, we're blessed with the mode it launched, but we person a batch of worldly that we're going to proceed to enactment connected and we're acold from done.

Battlefield 6 Season 2 Roadmap. Image courtesy of EA.

Some pockets of the assemblage person been much vocal than others erstwhile it comes to what they privation to spot changed erstwhile it comes to Battlefield 6 post-launch content. Obviously, immoderate plans person been successful spot for months and months and months. Has the squad felt the request to cater much to subordinate desires arsenic post-launch enactment has continued?

Wiebe: I americium not going to talk for everybody. My idiosyncratic doctrine is that we motorboat the crippled that we privation players to play, and it's benignant of our game, and we're processing it implicit years. We're investigating it. The large summation for america was Battlefield Labs. Traditionally, you occurrence it out, and you anticipation you got everything right, and that everybody's going to beryllium happy. Battlefield Labs gave america an accidental done improvement to truly commencement to trial with the community, to get aboriginal eyes to fig retired what's working, what's not working. It's truly effectual astatine looking astatine things similar gameplay for representation content, for mode content, and things similar that. Where we haven't had arsenic overmuch occurrence are things similar challenges and progression. Things that are harder successful a mode to trial successful a Labs situation due to the fact that you request a longer rhythm connected that.

So, for me, erstwhile we've launched the game, it's successful the community's hands to springiness america feedback. It becomes our crippled now. All feedback is important, and we measurement the assemblage feedback, but also, similar I said, we look astatine the information of what's really going connected successful telemetry. Sometimes it tin beryllium a cognition problem. Sometimes it's really like, no, some sources of accusation are saying, 'This is simply a large problem, and truthful we request to halt the plans we were going to bash and redirect and commencement focusing connected the things that we're seeing identified.' That's the main happening to instrumentality distant here: It's not like, 'Hey, we crafted this monolithic plan, and we're going to clasp to it.' It's like, no. Anything tin alteration based connected what is going connected with the community, what is going connected with the feedback, and what we're seeing from the game.

You brought up Battlefield Labs. How did Battlefield Labs and that investigating assistance signifier Nightfall into what it is today, versus what it started with?

Wiebe: [Laughs]

It's a agelong list, I'm sure.

Wiebe: Yeah. The earlier tests were precise telling. It was things similar the nighttime imaginativeness goggles would instrumentality mode excessively agelong successful the transition, wherever it's like, 'Oh, man, I'm dying each the time, and I person nary quality to react.' Or radical were utilizing definite attachments to astir exploit the quality of acheronian to the constituent wherever we had to readjust either the lighting oregon the clip oregon the interaction that you whitethorn consciousness erstwhile somebody, for example, throws a [Incendiary Grenade] astatine you, oregon you're trying to modulation from airy to acheronian and however agelong it takes for your eyes to adjust.

We got a batch of bully accusation connected that, truthful that helps america refine the representation layout, wherever determination were a fewer excessively galore choke points. We added alternate paths that could let radical to circumvent a choke constituent and present onslaught the force from a caller angle, oregon find a partition to destroy, wherever they tin present make their ain advantage. I judge it plays a massively captious relation successful getting an aboriginal work connected immoderate things that could beryllium a ample misstep if you hadn't different validated it. I would explicit a immense acknowledgment to each the players that bash enactment their clip into Battlefield Labs to supply the feedback that helps springiness america the information that we request to effort to marque the strongest seasonal releases we can.

So, it's astir refining that motorboat path, really, and that's what you've seen with Nightfall?

Wiebe: To date, and I americium personally excited to spot however galore much earlier, in-concept things we could enactment successful Labs implicit clip truthful that we can, successful fact, get much aboriginal eyes connected it. One of the things that we'll beryllium moving is, with conflict royale, we privation to trial a fewer antithetic things with that. We privation to get the community's read. Again, things that tin pass aboriginal seasons.

Is determination thing other you'd similar to adhd regarding Battlefield 6 and Nightfall, but besides specifically wherefore this full Phase 2 update is worthy jumping backmost successful for?

Wiebe: I mean, I play astir each day. Obviously, I'm some a developer and a player, truthful erstwhile I'm not developing, I spell home, and I play, and I'm personally excited conscionable due to the fact that it's a spot of a alteration successful atmosphere. Much similar the VL-7 fume that was introduced – which changed up however the crippled felt with the fume and however it reacts to the map, however it changes your tactics, however it changes the mode you comprehend the crippled – it's the aforesaid feeling I get from Nightfall. It's thing caller that I tin possibly interruption up my mean signifier of playing done Breakthrough, Conquest, and past Battle Royale. Now, I'm going to go, and I get to play Nightfall for a small bit, and past I'll spell backmost to my usual, right? We each do. We emotion going close backmost to Conquest and Breakthrough. Those are the mainstays, but it's bully to person those pallet cleansers erstwhile successful a while, conscionable to get a accidental to bash thing a small spot antithetic for a bit.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).