Battlefield 6 launched successfully on October 10, 2025, with over 750,000 concurrent players on Steam, but widespread EA App issues prevented many PC players from accessing the game, prompting Respawn CEO Vince Zampella to publicly advise affected users to refund and switch to Steam. EA has since resolved the outage and offered compensation, including boosters and free Battle Pass access, to impacted players.
Launch Issues and Player Lockout
Players who purchased Battlefield 6 through the EA App encountered a critical entitlement bug that falsely indicated missing content or required repurchasing the game, despite valid ownership. The issue stemmed from the EA App failing to validate licenses under high launch-day traffic, locking users out of both multiplayer and campaign modes. Even after reinstalling or repairing game files, many remained unable to play, leading to widespread frustration across Reddit, X, and official forums. The problem persisted for up to six hours, with EA taking approximately three hours to acknowledge and another three to deploy a fix.
Executive Response and Public Criticism
Respawn CEO Vince Zampella publicly criticized the EA App, posting on X: “I have yelled about ea app people. Any suggestions on next levels of escalation?”. In replies to frustrated players, he explicitly advised, “Can you refund and buy on steam?” and confirmed he was personally playing on Steam. His remarks highlighted internal dissatisfaction with the launcher, especially since Steam users faced only minor issues like a “Game not released” message, resolvable via client settings. Zampella emphasized that EA CEO Andrew Wilson shared his frustration, underscoring the severity of the failure.
EA’s Compensation and Resolution
EA confirmed the fix and announced compensation for affected EA App users, including 12 Hardware Boosters and 12 Career 60-Minute Boosters delivered via in-game inbox over the launch weekend. Additionally, impacted players received full access to a seasonal Battle Pass, with Phantom Edition owners granted Season 2’s full Battle Pass as an extended reward. EA acknowledged the outage in a public apology, stating the perks were intended to make amends for the disruption. While some players defended the response as better than expected, others viewed the incident as emblematic of ongoing EA App reliability concerns.
Community and Industry Reaction
The incident sparked significant backlash, with players and media calling the EA App’s failure “embarrassing,” particularly given Zampella’s public endorsement of Steam. Many noted the irony of EA’s own platform undermining its flagship title’s launch, while Steam—despite queues—delivered a stable experience. The compensation was generally welcomed, though some questioned whether it addressed the deeper issue of trust in EA’s ecosystem. Moving forward, the incident may influence player behavior, with more opting for third-party platforms over EA’s proprietary launcher.
