During a presentation at the annual GDC Europe developer's conference in Cologne, Joystiq reports that DICE GM Karl Magnus Troedsson indicated the company wasn't ready to start talking too much about the recently revealed Battlefield 4, but did offer a minor confirmation on the game's setting and the reasoning behind passing over a new Bad Company instalment for Battlefield proper.

with a lag time of six years between Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 3, why did the studio go with Battlefield 4 so quickly instead of heading back to Bad Company?

"There's a lot of things inspiring us as to how the franchise will move on. Everything from fans' feedback, to market research and, of course, what we want to build ourselves. It's not just one single thing," said Troedsson, continuing with a hint of sarcasm. "And, yes, I know Battlefield 4 is probably the most creative name we ever could come up with. I can't comment any more on that game because it's all secret."

However, he did go on to say, "We still want to stay in this genre, the modern day as it is. We feel this is a place we can be and continue with the series. Battlefield 4 can live in this space and be very successful."

Not ruling out a return to the more light-hearted Battlefield series, Troedsson hinted "That doesn't mean there might not be a Bad Company game again in the future".