EA Boss Willing to Move Battlefield Release Date to Account for 'Nuanced Year Relative to Competition' (*Cough* GTA 6 *Cough*)

2025 is shaping up to be a massive year for AAA video games. The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and its exclusives will undoubtedly be a major event, but beyond that, a slew of highly anticipated titles are slated for release later in the year, including Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, Ghost of Tsushima (presumably a sequel), and the next Call of Duty installment from Activision (likely in October or November). However, the biggest game looming large on the horizon is Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 6, currently scheduled for a Fall 2025 release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The uncertainty surrounding GTA 6's release date, combined with the already packed release calendar, presents a significant challenge for EA's upcoming Battlefield title. EA has slated the next Battlefield for its 2026 fiscal year (before April 2026), putting it directly in competition with GTA 6, and potentially Call of Duty and Borderlands 4. This raises the question: how much influence do competing release dates have on EA's launch plans?

Quite a bit, according to EA CEO Andrew Wilson, who recently acknowledged the competitive landscape during a financial call. He indicated a willingness to adjust the Battlefield release date if necessary: “Certainly we exist in a competitive marketplace…We've invested more in this Battlefield than any Battlefield before…We're looking for this to be the biggest Battlefield we've ever made. And we of course want to make sure that we launch that into a window where we can deliver on the fullness of the promise of what Battlefield can be and grow the community…There may be some things happening in the year that may cause us to think differently about our launch timing. We have an FY 26 launch window…but if we got close to that timeframe and believed that this wasn't going to be a great window for us, then we would take a look at what an alternate window might be…”

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Currently, the new Battlefield is targeted for release before April 2026. A November 2025 release (mirroring the launch dates of Battlefield 2042 and Battlefield 5) would put it in direct competition with a potential November GTA 6 release. This could lead EA to push Battlefield to the first quarter of 2026, remaining within its fiscal year. Conversely, a potential GTA 6 delay to Q1 2026 could cause EA to either bring Battlefield forward or delay it beyond its fiscal year – a significant decision, but one Wilson's comments suggest EA is prepared to make.

The entire gaming industry is essentially holding its breath awaiting Rockstar's official announcement of the GTA 6 release date. Once that date is confirmed, whether it's the planned Fall 2025 release or a delay into 2026, the dominoes will begin to fall, shaping the release strategies of numerous other major titles.