EA’s upcoming Battlefield 6 is a true return-to-form for the large-scale multiplayer FPS series. However, while the visuals may be better and the destruction may be grander, the game’s matches do have a smaller player count than the controversial Battlefield 2042.

In an interview with EDGE Magazine, design director Shashank Uchil explained that the team decided to revert to the classic 64-player match sizes instead of 2042’s larger 128-player matches because it was just the right move. 

Speaking to the magazine for issue 415, Uchil revealed that the team realised that the increased team sizes of their last game didn’t work as well as they hoped, and they didn’t want to repeat that mistake with Battlefield 6.

“Look, we try stuff. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t…” the developer said. “It’s as simple as that… We thought larger player numbers would work – it just didn’t catch on. It’s like when a band tries a new sound.”

Uchil explained that, at the end of the day, the team has to do what players want otherwise players won’t engage with the game. Following the dismal sales of 2042, Battlefield 6 needs to be a win, and the team needs to listen to players. 

“In the end, we are subservient to the players,” the design director told the magazine. “We do what the players want.” In fact, the developer called the subreddit “the number-one source” of information for developers to find key issues and work on fixes. 

Uchil explained that “Battlefield players are very vocal” with developers spending a lot of time in the series’ unofficial subreddit, listening to complaints and working on changes to address them. (Hopefully, this means the open class system is going the way of the dodo for main matchmaking then, right?)

Battlefield 6 is set to release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series on October 10, 2026