DICE producer admits Battlefield 4 woes damaged fan trust
Almost a full year after its launch, DICE LA producer David Sirland has admitted that the glitches that long plagued Battlefield 4 damaged the public's perception of what was once a highlight of the first-person shooter genre.
"I can absolutely say that we lost [player] trust in the game's launch and the early parts of the year," Sirland told Gamespot. "We still probably have a lot of players who won't trust us to deliver a stable launch or a stable game." Like EA CEO Andrew Wilson, Sirland is quick to offer assurances that Battlefield 4's woes were an isolated issue that will not be repeated: "I am certain that [Battlefield 4's problematic debut] won't be repeated because we've changed the way we work." Sirland offers few specifics, but key to this shift is a new transparency in the Battlefield development process while more attention is being paid to fan input.
Whether that holds true or not remains to be seen. Specifically, it remains to be seen once EA launches Battlefield: Hardline, an open-world cops and robbers shooter now slated to appear at some point in 2015. According to Ian Milham, creative director at developer Visceral Games, unlike Battlefield 4, this one will actually work.
[Image: EA]
