EA: Frostbite 2 ‘built for next-gen’

EA’s Frostbite 2 game engine was built to power next-generation console titles, Patrick Soderlund has claimed.

Speaking to Gamasutra, the EA Games exec VP said the engine, which powers DICE’s blockbuster shooter Battlefield 3, was created with scalability in mind so that it could also be used on current systems.

"Frostbite 2 was built for the next generation. That’s how we started it,” said Soderlund.

“We had that in mind and we said, ‘We’re going to have to build something that can scale.’ It doesn’t mean that what you see in Battlefield 3 is the end state. That’s the beginning; that’s where we start and then we go forward.

“But we have a tech base that makes me feel really confident in how we’re positioned for what’s going to come in the future.”

Soderlund added that having its own in-house next-gen development platform would be useful in future as most of its staff would have a working knowledge of the engine, making it easy to move staff between studios.

“At some point in time, we want to transfer resources between studios, and if they have the same knowledge on the tech base, it’s going to be a hell of lot easier for us to do that efficiently, and for them to get help or for them to give help,” he explained.

“So that’s why we decided to centre on one tech piece, and that was Frostbite; it was the obvious choice.”