Battlefield 6 is expected to be released this year. Little by little, information about the latest part of the series is seeping through and EA is apparently orienting itself to some points on the successful competitor Call of Duty: Warzone. We shows you 5 reasons why BF6 will be more like CoD.
If everything goes well, a new Battlefield will start this fall on the relevant gaming platforms. And it is foreseeable that the developers at DICE with Publisher EA will do a lot differently after the experience with Battlefield 5 .
Through leaks, statements from decision-makers and a new EA survey on Battlefield its players slowly get an idea of what innovations await you in Battlefield - apart from the pure gameplay. And some of it sounds a lot like the Battle Royale CoD: Warzone.
Reason 1 - statements from the past
In the earnings call at the end of 2019, Andrew Wilson, EA's CEO, stated that BF6 wanted to be the "most modern and best shooter on the market". It wasn't just about the graphical and technical refinements. To do that, you want to introduce completely new multiplayer experiences and expand the social components of the game.
In the call, the CEO drew a comparison with the extremely successful soccer simulation FIFA . Here EA has managed to build a market for the player cards and thus generate a lot of sales through in-game purchases. There are also many mechanics that reward players for their playing time. Converted to Battlefield EA then speaks of:
- New exciting multiplayer modes
- Battlefield as a live service game
- New social elements
How does Warzone do that? CoD offers its players more than pure “Battle Royale” gameplay. Game modes keep coming up that equip the gameplay framework with new mechanics to create a different experience. For example, there is the “Panzer Royale” in which teams protect an armored vehicle that they can also tune and repair. As long as the part is still standing, the entire team will be revived again and again. This refreshes the experience and creates motivation.
In addition to the game, CoD maintains an esports league and regularly organizes events for the Battle Royale Warzone. That attracts further attention. CoD players who watch league matches or warzone tournaments will often play more often. It is quite possible that Battlefield is investing more in addition to the battlefield in order to bind players to the franchise for longer. Just like it happens at FIFA.
Reason 2 - Live service in BF5 was a total failure
Battlefield 5 failed to meet the expectations of many gamers for a long time . The content replenishment came too slowly for some fans and many believe that BF5 only showed its potential with the late chapter 6 (Pacific). The developers will change their strategy on this point - that of Battlefield 5 hardly worked.
A new survey by EA ( via YouTube ) now also shows which direction BF could take. In addition to new content, there could be major changes to existing maps. So not only do the new maps offer a “fresh” experience, but the old maps could also be worthwhile again if the changes are big enough.
How does Warzone do that? In the Battle Royale of CoD, the large main map "Verdansk" changes again and again. First bunkers opened with loot, then a functioning subway system came and NPC zombies are currently cavorting on the map. The speed with which map adjustments are coming into Warzone could be faster . But the approach is great for keeping old content fresh and interesting while bringing new things to the game.
The complete replenishment of content from Warzone and the premium titles such as Call of Duty: Cold War is free and comes with regular seasons that both titles share. For example, if the current Cold War Season 3 starts, this also applies to Warzone.
Reason 3 - Battle Pass as a new motivational incentive
A Battle Pass also goes very well with the live service approach. Leaks used to speak of such a system in Battlefield 6 ( via GameStar ). We now know from EA's survey that this is what developers are concerned about.
Fortnite showed how well a Battle Pass can work in shooters. Give the players 100 levels with cosmetic rewards and let them choose whether they want to buy the full pass or bag fewer items using the free version. That could work well in BF too.
How does Warzone do that? The Battle Royale has a very fair Battle Pass and even offers gameplay-relevant content about it. For just under 10 euros you can unlock more than 100 items and if you play a lot, you even get the "money" back. The pass costs 1,000 CoD points and lets you unlock 1,300 points.
There are also two new weapons in the Battle Pass at the start of the season, which you must first earn. After the season, you can get these weapons through challenges, if that didn't work with the Battle Pass.
Reason 4 - Free2Play is enjoying great success
The Battlefield 6 poll also covers free game modes. The BF makers ask their community whether they would be interested in a Free2Play mode in general. This can be a completely new or existing game mode.
With a Free2Play approach, Battlefield would open up to more players and could reach shooter fans who have previously avoided the franchise. Here the developers can also benefit from the experience at Apex Legends . Apex has been around for more than two years, is funded through in-game purchases, and could be a good template for a free Battlefield mode.
How does Warzone do that? Call of Duty showed Battlefield how to multiply its player numbers with Free2Play titles. In 2020 CoD had more players than ever before and that was in good part due to Warzone. The Battle Royale offers the top gunplay and the image of the premium title, but lets you play everything for free.
This is how many players came into contact with CoD gameplay for the first time. This can potentially increase sales of the in-game items, increase the number of players and also bring higher sales of the paid version.
Reason 5 - Firestorm developers join the BF6 team
In early March, EA announced that a third developer studio was working on Battlefield 6. In addition to DICE (main game) and DICE LA (service part), Criterion is now also working on BF6 ( via polygon.com ). The studio already helped with Battlefield 5 and mainly worked on the Battle Royale Firestorm.
That could be another indication that Battlefield 6 is bringing something "Battle Royale" -like back to the start. Possibly directly as a Free2Play part of BF6, as the EA survey suggests. In general, it could mean that more people are working on the title and therefore more content is planned than with Battlefield 5.
How does Warzone do that? Warzone and Call of Duty have long been using several studios for their various titles that are working on different parts of the series. There are 4 studios in total. In this way they manage to bring a new game with new content every year, which is also supplied with additional content over its lifespan.
In the meantime, the latest titles in the series, Modern Warfare from 2019 and Black Ops Cold War from 2020, can be seen as genuine service titles. After the release, new and free content will come into play through the Seasons, creating new incentives to return. In this way, the individual titles manage to remain relevant until the start of a new CoD, if everything works.
Battlefield has a lot of fans and needs to evolve - BF5 has proven both. It remains to be seen whether BF6 can meet the high expectations that gamers have of a shooter like Call of Duty and Battlefield these days.
Warzone has shown how it can work, and Battlefield provides the foundation for such success too. An insider says BF6 will be officially presented in May - we will know more with the reveal at the latest.
What do you think BF6 has to do better than Battlefield 5 to be successful? Is an orientation towards service titles like CoD: Warzone the right way? How do you interpret the latest developments around BF6? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.
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