'What Will Leak? Everything' — Battlefield 6 Devs Insist They Didn't Want the Game to Suffer From Leaks, but Getting Player Feedback 'Had to Come at Any Cost'

Battlefield 6 developer Ripple Effect hasn’t been the slightest spot amazed by the dependable travel of leaks it has suffered passim 2025.

Leaked gameplay footage, details, and much from EA’s ongoing closed playtest programme known arsenic Battlefield Labs person poured onto the net passim the past fewer months of improvement connected this year’s caller Battlefield game. It’s resulted successful an unorthodox lead-up to what has been propped up arsenic a peculiarly important introduction successful a long-running FPS franchise, starring to disorder from fans arsenic they watched everything from gameplay reveals to crippled modes leak online.

We asked method manager Christian Buhl and elder console combat decorator Matthew Nickerson astir their attack to Battlefield 6 leaks during a caller interview. Buhl asserts that the Ripple Effect squad “did not privation leaks” but admitted the BF Studios’ tendency to thrive disconnected of subordinate feedback led to a fewer indispensable sacrifices.

“We had, actually, discussions, I deliberation astir a twelvemonth oregon 2 ago,” Buhl explained. “I conjecture it was possibly astir 2 years ago, astir however overmuch we were going to bash to forestall leaks versus however overmuch we were going to bash to get the crippled successful beforehand of players. We made a precise deliberate determination that we were going to bias precise heavy towards putting things successful beforehand of players and getting their feedback, adjacent though we knew things would leak.”

EA and the 4 entities that marque up BF Studios — Ripple Effect, DICE, Motive Studio, and Criterion Games — knew Battlefield 6 needed to deed the crushed moving truthful arsenic not to further stain the franchise’s already tarnished reputation. Player feedback has been an important portion of the team’s instauration for years, but they weren’t naïve to the thought that a nonstop enactment of connection with fans could effect successful authoritative materials making their mode to the nationalist early.

“I remember, astatine 1 point, making a large presumption that said, 'What volition leak? Everything.' Like, we conscionable started with that presumption that things would leak,” Buhl added. “Now, to beryllium clear, we didn't privation things to leak. We weren't seeking leaks, but we knew that the astir important happening was to get the crippled successful beforehand of players, get existent feedback from players, get existent telemetry, existent data, and that had to travel astatine immoderate cost, including the information that things would leak.”

Buhl said BF Studios made it “a small spot harder for radical to leak things” but kept its sights acceptable connected 1 goal: “Get the crippled successful beforehand of players adjacent though we cognize it volition extremity up leaking.” We’ll cognize however Battlefield 6 turned retired erstwhile it launches for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S connected its October 10 merchandise date. In the meantime, beryllium definite to cheque retired our afloat interrogation with Buhl and Nickerson. You tin besides work up connected a caller leak that saw a fewer Battlefield 6 maps amusement up online.

Michael Cripe is simply a freelance writer with IGN. He's champion known for his enactment astatine sites similar The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be definite to springiness him a travel connected Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).