EA Boss Originally Has Rejected Battlefield WW1 Pitch

When the team at DICE pitched EA Studios boss Patrick Soderlund on the idea for a World War 1 Battlefield game, he rejected it, the executive said today at the company's annual Investor Day briefing.

However, the developers didn't give up. They persisted, and eventually convinced Soderlund to greenlight the project, which was announced earlier this month as Battlefield 1.

Soderlund said he is now convinced that the World War 1 setting is "right for the franchise and right for EA."

He also remarked that other big-name shooters are going in a different direction. He didn't name any games outright, but Battlefield's biggest competitor is Call of Duty. This year's entry, Infinite Warfare, is set in the future, with the gameplay taking place in part in outer space and on other planets.

Keep checking back for more from EA's Investor Day briefing, which is going on right now.

Battlefield 1 launches on October 21, though people with an EA/Origin Access membership or those who pick up the deluxe edition can get in on October 18. Additionally, a beta will be held sometime before launch.

In other news, Battlefield 1's announcement trailer is the most-liked trailer on YouTube, while Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare's is the most disliked. Additionally, DICE has confirmed the game will have a server browser, while it's also been announced that some of the game is set in the Italian Alps.

For more on Battlefield 1, you can check out GameSpot's roundup of everything we know so far.