The Risky Hope of a New Bad Company
Battlefield Bad Company and its sequel were a special moment for a lot of PC gamers. They mixed explosive Battlefield style combat with a lighter, more humorous tone that set them apart from the main series. For many players, including the original writer, Bad Company 2 was the last Battlefield they truly got hooked on.
So could EA ever bring Bad Company back? In a recent chat with David Goldfarb, the lead designer of Bad Company 2, he shared both his hopes and his doubts about the future of the spin off series.
Goldfarb thinks the original team would actually want to do it. The problem is that the developers who built Bad Company are now scattered across the industry. Some of them are at Embark Studios, the team behind Arc Raiders, while others are working at completely different places. In his words, that band is not getting back together to make that game. But he adds that another band could make it, hinting that a different team inside Battlefield Studios could take the reins.
Battlefield Studios now includes DICE, Ripple Effect, Criterion and Motive, all under EA. Any attempt to restart Bad Company would have to run through them and pass EA’s risk filter. And that is where the real challenge begins.
Why Bad Company Is a Huge Risk for EA
Goldfarb is very clear about why EA might hesitate. From the publisher’s point of view, choosing to make a new Bad Company game means choosing a product that might appeal to fewer players. The humor and tone that made Bad Company special are also what make it risky.
Humor is subjective. Not every Battlefield fan wants jokes and banter mixed into their military shooter. EA knows this, and they have the sales numbers to remind them of the risks.
- Bad Company 1 did not sell very well compared to the main series.
- Bad Company 2 sold really well, but still did not match the performance of Battlefield 3.
For a big publisher, that matters a lot. Battlefield is one of EA’s flagship franchises. When they greenlight a new game, they want the biggest possible audience. A spin off with a more playful tone is not the safest bet when you can just make another mainline Battlefield with a more traditional style.
Goldfarb says that anyone inside EA who backs a new Bad Company would be putting their reputation on the line. They would have to argue that leaning into something people loved long ago will pay off in today’s market. With development budgets climbing and expectations for live service content growing, that is a scary gamble for decision makers.
Vince Zampella and the Strange Twist of Fate
There is one person Goldfarb thinks might actually be able to pull it off: Vince Zampella. If there is anyone inside EA who could resurrect Bad Company, Goldfarb believes it is him.
Zampella is best known as one of the key figures behind Call of Duty’s early success with Infinity Ward, including the original Modern Warfare. Back in the Bad Company days, he was on the opposite side of the shooter rivalry. In fact, the first Bad Company was pushed back partly because Modern Warfare was such a massive hit. The two games were competing for the same audience.
Now the landscape has flipped. Zampella leads Respawn and Ripple Effect, and EA has put him in charge of the Battlefield franchise itself. The former rival who helped push Call of Duty to the top is now the person who literally holds the keys to Battlefield and any possible Bad Company revival.
Goldfarb says he knows Zampella loved Bad Company, and he trusts his instincts. He even mentions that Battlefield 6 is great, which adds to his confidence that the series is in capable hands. If a new Bad Company ever happens, Goldfarb says he would be excited just to play it and see what the new team does with the idea.
Still, even with Zampella at the helm, the risk does not disappear. EA would have to decide that it is worth pursuing a game that might have a smaller, but very passionate, audience. They would need to believe that a return to that witty, character driven style of Battlefield can stand out in a crowded shooter market dominated by realism, live service grinds and battle royale trends.
Will We Ever See Bad Company Again?
Right now, there is no confirmed plan for a new Bad Company game. What we have is a mix of nostalgia, developer interest and business reality pulling in different directions.
- The original creative team is spread out, but another Battlefield Studio could take on the project.
- The tone and humor that fans loved are also what make the project risky.
- Bad Company 2 performed well but still lagged behind the biggest Battlefield releases.
- Vince Zampella is in a unique position to decide its future and has a history with both Battlefield and its old rival Call of Duty.
For PC gamers who loved Bad Company’s blend of destruction, squad banter and slightly chaotic energy, the dream is still alive but uncertain. The industry has shifted heavily toward safe bets, sequels and live service models that can guarantee ongoing revenue. A quirky spin off with a strong personality is harder to sell at the executive level, even if players are hungry for something fresh.
In the end, a Bad Company comeback would require someone inside EA to champion it strongly and convince others that leaning into what made those games unique is worth the risk. Until that happens, the series sits in a strange spot: beloved, remembered and technically possible, but stuck behind the realities of the modern games business.
If it ever does return, it will be fascinating to see how a new generation of Battlefield developers and players respond to a series that was always a little lighter, a little weirder and a lot of fun.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/the-likelihood-of-another-battlefield-bad-company-is-slim-but-its-former-lead-designer-thinks-battlefield-boss-vince-zampella-could-make-it-happen-he-knows-his-sh-t/
