TheBattlefieldseries went toe-to-toe withCall of Dutyduring the seventh console generation, but it’s no secret that the franchise has been struggling ever since. The series' latest installment,Battlefield 2042, wasn’t exactly the smash hit that fans were hoping for. The game was released in a shoddy technical state, had a limited amount of content, and made several changes to theBattlefieldformula that greatly upset fans. Because of this,Battlefield 2042was bombarded with overwhelmingly negative user reviews on sites like Steam and Metacritic, and it became the lowest-ratedBattlefieldgame of all time.
Battlefield 2042has improved over the years, but it hasn’t really been able to take off like otherlive service games with troubled launcheshave (e.g.Sea of Thieves,Fallout 76). In spite of this, the lead developers behind the game, DICE, have revealed that a newBattlefieldgame is already in production. Although this new installment doesn’t have an official name yet, it’s supposedly coming out sometime within the next 12 months. The newBattlefieldgame, orBattlefield 6, as it’s colloquially called, is intended to serve as a reboot of theBattlefieldfranchise, but judging by the gameplay footage that has leaked online, it seems to have a striking resemblance to the older entries in the series.
Battlefield 6 Seems to Share a Lot in Common With the Old Battlefield Games
Gameplay Footage of Battlefield 6 Has Leaked Online, and Reception Has Been Mostly Positive
Although DICE and publisher EA haven’t released a single trailer forBattlefield6, the two companies recently heldspecial invite-only playtests for the gameto get feedback on it prior to its release. Since they’re required to sign non-disclosure agreements, the participants in these playtests are technically not allowed to share any information about the game. In spite of this, some of them have already uploaded raw gameplay footage ofBattlefield 6to several social media sites. Surprisingly, EA has made little effort to take these gameplay videos down.
After the failure ofBattlefield 2042, theBattlefieldcommunity has generally been apprehensive towards the prospect of a newBattlefieldgame, but initial impressions ofBattlefield 6’s leaked gameplayhave been quite positive. The as-of-yet untitled installment seems to get rid of many of the controversial features thatBattlefield 2042introduced. The game has no specialists, no 128-player battles, and it no longer takes place in a sci-fi setting. Instead,Battlefield 6is set in a modern-day location, and it appears to give a lot of emphasis to destructible environments.
It’s a Good Sign that Battlefield 6 is Harkening Back to the Battlefield 3 & 4 Era
The gameplay footage from the newBattlefieldinstallment has most often been compared to 2011’sBattlefield 3. Considering that many gamers see it and its 2013 sequel,Battlefield 4, as the peak of theBattlefieldfranchise, this is probably a good thing. Vince Zampella, the boss ofBattlefieldhimself, has even expressed similar views regarding this matter. Speaking in an interview with IGN, he revealed late last year thatBattlefield 6was trying to “get back to the core of whatBattlefieldis” byreferring to theBattlefield 3and4era"where everything was modern."
Some may say thatBattlefield 6’s familiarity is a detriment, because it shows a potential lack of creativity within DICE. However, after what happened withBattlefield 2042, maybe this is just what the series needs: a back-to-basics, traditionalBattlefieldgame that takes inspiration from the best of the best instead of trying to do something radically new. Although innovating in games isn’t necessarily a bad thing,the changes that DICE made inBattlefield 2042felt more like trend-chasing than actual innovating. DICE should still try to add new, unique features toBattlefield6to distinguish the game fromBattlefield 3and4, but it doesn’t need to shake up the series' formula so much to the point that it’s unrecognizable.
Battlefield
EA’s Battlefield franchise is a series of first-person shooter games. The games have predominantly been set in the modern day, though there have also been titles set in World War 1, World War 2, and in the near future.The Battlefield franchise is often compared to Call of Duty, with both franchises offering single-player campaigns and online multiplayer.
