I want to get excited forBattlefield 6, but Electronic Arts keeps doing a lot of little things that make me wary. The nextBattlefieldgame is officially without a title, but is colloquially known asBattlefield 6, and is currently undergoing regularplaytests via Battlefield Labs. The Battlefield Labs program was expressly designed to field community feedback during development ofBF6in the hopes thatanother disaster likeBattlefield 2042can be avoided. A lot ofBattlefield 6looks great from the leaked footage I’ve seen, butmany facets are also giving me pause.
The series appears to be refreshingly returning to a modern setting with a visual language much in the lineage ofBattlefield 3and4– two of the series' most celebrated entries. Itsdestruction also has majorBad Company 2vibes, which is an area fans have been hoping the gameplay will reevaluate for many years now. Map design also seems to be greatly improved over the wide-open expanses seen in2042. Rather dense urban environments appear to promote intimate infantry play, while open avenues still allow for the series' signature vehicle combat.Battlefield 6largely feels like it’s on the right track, but I’m still concerned.
I Love Mass Effect, But Hate This
I’ve long since lost faith inBattlefield 2042becoming a greatBattlefieldgame, and I commend the developers for trying to turn it around, but its latest addition is rather unfortunate. WithBattlefield 2042version 8.9.0,cosmetic bundles based on theMass Effectseries have been added to the game(viaEA). Some of the more cynical analyses of2042around its launch pegged the Specialist characters as a way to heavily monetize the game by selling skins. There was a pervasive worry that the game would end up like many other long-running live-service games, where cosmetic items become goofier, compromising the original art design.
2042remained within its near-future aesthetics fairly well, but addingMass Effectskins so long after the game’s release is a bad look.Battlefield’s current reputation isn’t great, andMass Effect’s isn’t much better, with a lot of worry surrounding its next entry now thatBioWare’s workforce has been slashedby EA. At worst, it preys on people’s nostalgia for the originalMass Effecttrilogy (the N7 logo is prominently placed);at best, it still looks kind of silly inBattlefield 2042.
It feels like little more than a convenient way for EA to earn some extra cash out of a dying game by slapping two of its properties together. This also comes amid concerns thatBattlefield 6isn’t really turning things around.A developer update revealed that the new game doesn’t have class-locked weapons, meaning it may fall into the same sort of chaos that consumed2042without rigid squad structures.
There are also datamines claimingBattlefield 6may have a battle royale mode.Battlefield 5’s Firestorm was the series' previous attempt, and was largely seen as inferior to its competition in the battle royale genre.It’s exceedingly late to attempt to break into the scene, as the likes ofFortnite,Call of Duty: Warzone, andApex Legendstend to dominate it. There’s a concern that developing a misguided battle royale mode is simply taking resources away from the mainBattlefieldexperience that fans are clamoring for.
Battlefield 6 Could Be Great, But EA Still Has Problems
I Hope I’m Proved Wrong
Early marketing forBattlefield 6has been promising. Despite largely involving the same studios that previously worked on the series – DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect, and Motive –the explicit branding to present them collectively as Battlefield Studios and the subsequent launch of Battlefield Labs felt like EA was making a concerted effort to give the series a valiant comeback. Giving it a modern setting that evokesBattlefield 3and4, plus the new destruction physics, only further reinforced that notion.
But EA continues to not only remain questionable in its handling of the series;it seems to be mishandling its properties and studios at large. Layoffs have hit various EA subsidiaries regularly throughout the year, including atStar Wars Jedideveloper Respawn Entertainment,WRCdeveloper Codemasters, and the aforementioned BioWare. EA even shut down Cliffhanger Games and canceled itsBlack Panthergame.
Mass Effectcosmetics inBattlefield 2042are just the latest reminder that, even ifBattlefield 6releases in a nice state, it could still suffer long-term under the thumb of EA.Battlefieldhas long tried to be the so-calledCoDkiller, and while it’s certainly a competing franchise,Battlefieldappeals to a different gameplay style. It’s disheartening to see2042receive obnoxious crossover content after it has already gone through a lengthy revamp, but it’s doubly worrisome for the future ofBattlefield 6, which once again seems to be avoiding the return to form fans so desperately want in small but meaningful ways.
Source:EA
Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 is another entry in the long-running Battlefield series. In this online multiplayer first-person shooter, the world has broken out in turmoil over rising seas, political tensions, and satellite crashes causing mass blackouts. In each match, players take on the role of a specialist to fight against other players on the battlefield.
