Summary
Back in February,EAbrokeits silence regarding its next installmentin theBattlefieldfranchise. In introducing Battlefield Labs,the studio affirmed its desire to avoid another disastrous launchby partnering with gamers through in-depth closed tests.
Shortly after,in hopes of shaping a gamethat isn’t expected to launch before April 2026. By March 7,footage of the playtest was already being livestreamed and leaked online. If players weren’t streaming their gameplay,they were sharing their opinions online, all of this despite agreeing to a Non-Disclosure Agreement, or NDA.
Things quickly came to a head earlier this week, when datamined internal code showed that the next Battlefield gamewill have some form of Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM). Naturally, that sent the community into a spiral,leading to lead producer David Sirland to comment on the matter, asking fans to “calm this thing down a tad,” while explaining what is going on.
Now, its Community Manager has also taken a stand against the rampant leaks.
Battlefield Labs Doesn’t Work If Everyone Is Leaking Everything
In a lengthy post shared on Reddit, Global Community Manager T0TALfps effectively told players that leaks aren’t helping the situation, especially when they come from a place lacking context behind them.
Specifically, they noted that the team had been wanting to implement Battlefield Labs for some time, “responding to your requests for greater involvement and a return to this type of reactivity around all things Battlefield.”
However, “information and content that gets shared is out of context and often with a narrative wrapped around it that is doing damage to the trust and transparency we want to establish.” As such, people will continue to be removed if they violate the NDA.
In a final note, they reestablished that things are “only official when we share it, and we are comfortable with the topic at hand.”
It’s no secret that leaks can be heavily detrimental, especially when they lack surrounding information. As was the case with the SBMM leak, which sent the community into a panic. Beyond coming down harder on leakers, it remains to be seen what more EA can do to avoid further damage or information spreading prematurely and inaccurately.
