Electronic Arts' decision to launch Battlefield 5 (or whatever comes after Battlefield Hardline) in 2016 instead of 2015 was a smart move for the overall health of the series. That's according to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia, who said in a note to investors today that launching the game in 2016 will help the Battlefield series avoid franchise "fatigue."

If the new Battlefield game were to launch in 2015, it would mean EA would have released two major Battlefield titles in the year. Hardline is scheduled to launch on March 17, 2015.

No new Battlefield in fall 2015, but Star Wars: Battlefront will fill its place

In explaining the delay, EA CEO Andrew Wilson said waiting a year to launch the next Battlefield game will give players more time to enjoy Hardline.

"As a result of the extended services and content updates that we provide, it's clear that players want to experience the games we're delivering for longer periods of time," Wilson said on Tuesday. "Looking into next year, we will ensure that our players have enough time between releases to fully explore the depth and innovation in our shooter titles."

Although EA will not have a new Battlefield game out for next holiday, the publisher will have a major first-person shooter series launching then in the form of Star Wars: Battlefront. During a financial call on Tuesday, EA confirmed that this game will launch in holiday 2015, in the same window that J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: Episode VII comes to theaters.

"Management has increased confidence in the potential success of this title, which also helps to explain their decision to delay Battlefield 5," Bhatia said. "We think the decision to move Battlefield 5 will optimize the potential for the Battlefield franchise (and avoid franchise fatigue), and also should result in a more consistent revenue/EPS growth pattern for EA."

EA has said previously that it doesn't want to annualize the series, similar to what Activision has done with Call of Duty.