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A new Battlefield spin-off may be in the works, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who says a studio other than DICE is looking to continue the stream of Battlefield releases in EA’s 2015 financial year.

Originally, reported by EuroGamer and VideoGamer, Pachter wrote in a note to the press that, “Although EA has as yet to announce a Battlefield extension for FY15, we believe Criterion Games is working on a military shooter that may become a brand extension for the Battlefield franchise in FY15.”

Previously, Criterion Games were known for their work on the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises.

Pachter later updated his position, mentioning that he now believes it is Dead Space developers Visceral Games that will be spear-heading the project. As far as we know, on an official level, Visceral was to be working on a Star Wars project, as per EA’s multi-year exclusive licensing agreement with Disney.

“We spoke with management on Thursday afternoon, and although they have not yet announced a version of Battlefield for FY15, they confirmed that our understanding is spot on and that if a version of Battlefield were to be released in FY15, it would be developed by a studio other than DICE,” Pachter continued.

While it’s likely that EA wishes to produce a steady stream of Battlefield releases in the coming years, it’s not clear if a studio like Visceral would continue work on the Battlefield: Bad Company series, or begin work on an entirely new sub-series all together. DICE Creative Director Lars Gustavsson mentioned earlier that “the Bad Company [team] isn’t forgotten, they are just on a very long vacation,” adding that “… they are out there, they’re coming back.”

The idea might sound far-fetched at first – to put the highly acclaimed Battlefield series into the hands of a developer other than original creators DICE – but it’s exactly how publisher Activision worked the popular Call of Duty series so that releases could become more frequent. By alternating Battlefield development between developers, EA could also produce yearly releases of the franchise.

We take it core Battlefield fans wouldn’t take kindly to the news, but nevertheless, consider these rumblings rumor until an official announcement from EA or either studio is made.