The Battlefield 6 Redemption, What UCLA Football Teaches About Leadership, & Structuring Teams to Win | MAG #7

Western AAA development is not dead. Battlefield 6's 7 million unit launch proves it. This episode deconstructs how EA and Vince Zampella reversed the "disaster" of Battlefield 2042 by focusing on leadership, community feedback , and a smarter studio structure.

Then, we explore why leadership is the ultimate "alpha". Joseph Kim breaks down the stunning turnaround of the UCLA football team—who went from a 0-4 disaster to a 3-0 winning streak (including beating #7 Penn State ) with the exact same players. The only thing that changed? Leadership and strategy. Learn how to apply these lessons on accountability , clear roles , and scheme-to-personnel fit to your game studio.

Finally, we feature an excerpt from an interview with veteran producer Chris Casanova on why your studio is likely structured for failure. He explains the critical shift from "craft-based" (siloed) teams to cross-disciplinary "outcome-based" teams and how to implement it.

Timestamps:

• [00:01:51] Corrections: Revisiting the EA/PIF Deal & The "Copy, Improve, Innovate" Framework

• [00:04:33] Top 3 News: Battlefield 6 (7M copies) , Switch 2 Production , Arc Raiders CCU

• [00:06:42] MACRO: The Battlefield 6 Redemption Story

• [00:07:41] By the Numbers: BF6 (7M units) vs 2042 (4.2M)

• [00:09:19] A Quick History of the Battlefield Franchise

• [00:11:12] What Changed? The "Save the Franchise" Game

• [00:13:01] Fix #1: A Better Studio Coalition Structure

• [00:15:05] Fix #2: Going Back to Basics & Listening to the Community

• [00:16:14] Fix #3: Polish and Giving the Game Time

• [00:17:53] Fix #4: The Vince Zampella Factor

• [00:20:40] Deep Dive: Who is Vince Zampella? (Infinity Ward, Respawn)

• [00:28:22] ALPHA: Leadership is Your Biggest Competitive Advantage

• [00:31:18] Case Study: The UCLA Football Turnaround

• [00:32:15] The 0-4 Disaster (The Problem)

• [00:37:31] The Mid-Season Fix: Firing the Coach

• [00:39:10] The 3-0 Turnaround (The Result)

• [00:41:03] The Lessons: 1) Play to Strengths, 2) Accountability, 3) Clear Roles, 4) Belief

• [00:44:47] Applying the Lessons to Your Game Studio

• [00:48:55] GAME DEV: Interview with Chris Casanova

• [00:49:41] The Thesis: Shifting from "Craft-Based" to "Outcome-Based" Teams

• [00:52:43] A Practical Example: A "Procedural Worlds" Team

• [00:57:51] Key Takeaway: Why Outcome-Based Teams Win