It's been a long time coming, but the next game in the storied Battlefield franchise has finally been unveiled, after a reveal event that showed off some fairly breathtaking in-engine footage.

Battlefield 2042, as we now know the game is called, will bring a huge new scale to the series and is set in a near-future timeline that will be mouthwatering to shooter fans who might be getting tired of Call of Duty's reestablished annual dominance.

The new game will feature seven enormous maps at launch, across a diverse set of environments including Qatari deserts and the urban jungle of South Korea, and looks to build on previous titles' map-changing events by feature huge weather systems that can dramatically alter conditions dynamically.

The setting sees global superpowers at war - the US and Russia finally duking it out in the open after decades of smaller conflicts. Players will squad up in specialist roles that should allow for plenty of customisation, and will play in lobbies of up to 128 players, a truly impressive figure.

That specialist system seemingly replaces Battlefield's traditional classes, although you'll still be able to pick an archetype to help your squad with revives or resupplies. Plus, the near-future setting opens up plenty of fun tech options including drones, robot dogs, wingsuits and grappling hooks.

It all looks plenty unhinged and full of the sort of chaotic possibilities in a huge arena that Battlefield has always specialised in, and we should see our first gameplay very soon, with a further reveal planned for June 13.