Battlefield 6 is Betting Big on a Historical failure

by

With Battlefield 6 being one of the largest titles in the industry, its triumphant success is crucial. It’s been announced that Electronic Arts (EA) anticipates Battlefield 6 will attract an astounding 100 million players, a figure that aligns with the substantial $400 million budget allocated for this project. Given the franchise’s history, it’s evident that EA and DICE have high expectations for this game on an unprecedented scale. After the last two installments garnered mixed responses, there is a significant focus on ensuring that Battlefield 6 gets off to a strong start.

As the anticipated launch of Battlefield 6 approaches, Electronic Arts (EA) has emphasized that the series is being handled competently and is revisiting its origins. Yet, if this is indeed EA’s goal, the recent announcement about a contentious game mode appearing in the title appears rather puzzling. Over the past few years, Battlefield has been grappling with an identity dilemma, and by placing significant emphasis on a mode that historically has not succeeded, it risks repeating a difficult lesson learned in the past.

Battlefield 6’s Leaked Battle Royale Mode Is Betting on the Series’ Biggest Weakness

This week, details about the battle royale mode of Battlefield 6 were leaked, revealing snippets from the opening scene and particular aspects tailored for this game type. While EA has been planning to incorporate an alternative mode alongside Conquest and Rush in both Battlefield 5 and 2042 (with Firestorm and Hazard Zone respectively), it’s inaccurate to label these modes as key selling points. From the get-go, neither of them attracted the player numbers EA required to maintain support for them. Many players soon reverted to each game’s traditional playlists instead. There were several explanations why these modes didn’t gain traction, but ultimately, it became clear that following trends in Battlefield wasn’t a successful approach.

DICE’s Strength Is Not in Battle Royales, but EA Wants to Try Anyway

At present, the ambition for Battlefield 6 to incorporate a Battle Royale (BR) mode seems rather peculiar given the market situation. Currently, Fortnite and some other titles reign supreme in the BR domain, leaving little room for newcomers. Consequently, many promising BRs have failed at their initial stages due to intense competition. Therefore, it’s perplexing that Battlefield 6 is aiming for a sector that appears to be shrinking compared to its past glory, years after reaching its peak. However, considering the potential revenue a successful live-service BR could generate and given Apex Legends’ current struggle with declining player numbers, Electronic Arts (EA) might view this as a risk they’re willing to take.

Regardless of some people’s perception that Apex has been standing still, it consistently attracts more than 100,000 players playing simultaneously, even six years after its initial release.

The primary concern regarding Battlefield 6’s Battle Royale is that DICE, not being renowned for creating successful ones, might struggle to deliver a satisfying experience. Previously, the studio has attempted to capitalize on industry trends in this genre but failed twice, making it challenging to expect a different outcome this time around. It may be more effective for Battlefield 6 to focus on regaining the trust of its fans rather than rushing into a battle royale before mastering the basics. However, if Battlefield 6 aspires to compete with Call of Duty, it could innovate by introducing a small-scale, fast-paced mode emphasizing tactical gameplay instead. Interestingly, Call of Duty’s Skirmish mode is taking inspiration from Battlefield, and responding in kind might help attract players disillusioned with Call of Duty, rather than following trends that didn’t resonate with Battlefield fans in the past. Regrettably, it appears another attempt at a battle royale mode from Battlefield is highly probable given the current circumstances.

Read More

2025-07-04 21:53