Battlefield 6 is expected to be released later this year. Gradually, information about the latest installment in the series is leaking out, and apparently, EA is orienting itself on several points to the successful competitor Call of Duty: Warzone. MeinMMO shows you 5 reasons why BF6 will be more like CoD.
If everything goes smoothly, a new Battlefield will launch this fall on major gaming platforms. And it is foreseeable that the developers at DICE, along with publisher EA, will do things differently based on their experiences with Battlefield 5.
Through leaks, statements from decision-makers, and a new EA survey about Battlefield aimed at its players, one is slowly getting a sense of what innovations to expect in Battlefield – aside from the pure gameplay. And some of it sounds very much 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 with BF6, they want to be the “most modern and best shooter on the market.” It was not just about the graphical and technical refinements. To achieve this, they want to introduce completely new multiplayer experiences and expand the social components of the game.
In that call, the CEO drew a comparison to the extremely successful soccer simulation FIFA. Here, EA managed to build a market for player cards and generate significant revenue through in-game purchases. Additionally, there are many mechanics that reward players for their playtime. Translated to Battlefield, EA is talking about:
- New exciting multiplayer modes
- Battlefield as a live-service game
- New social elements
How does Warzone implement this? CoD offers its players more than just the pure “Battle Royale” gameplay. New game modes keep coming in that equip the gameplay framework with new mechanics to create a different experience. For example, there is the “Tank Royale”, where teams protect an armored vehicle that they can also tune and repair. As long as the vehicle is still standing, the entire team is revived repeatedly. This refreshes the experience and creates motivation.
In addition to the game, CoD maintains an e-sports league and regularly hosts events for the Battle Royale Warzone. This draws additional attention. CoD players who watch league matches or Warzone tournaments often play more frequently as well. It is quite possible that Battlefield will invest more beyond the battlefield to keep players engaged with the franchise longer, just as it has happened with FIFA.
Reason 2 – Live-Service in BF5 was a Total Failure
Battlefield 5 could not meet the expectations of many players for a long time. The content supply came too slowly for some fans, and many believe that BF5 only started showing its potential with the late Chapter 6 (Pacific). The developers will change their strategy in this regard – the one from Battlefield 5 hardly worked.
A new survey from EA (via YouTube) now also shows what direction BF might take. Alongside new content, there could be larger changes to existing maps. This way, not only new maps provide a “fresh” experience, but old maps could also become worthwhile again if the changes are significant enough.
How does Warzone implement this? In the Battle Royale of CoD, the major main map “Verdansk” changes from time to time. First, bunkers opened up with loot, then a functioning subway system was added, and currently, NPC zombies roam the map. The speed at which map adjustments come in Warzone could be higher. However, the approach is excellent for keeping old content fresh and interesting while introducing new things into the game.
The entire content supply from Warzone and the premium titles like Call of Duty: Cold War is free and comes with regular seasons that both titles share. For example, starting with the current Cold War Season 3 also applies to Warzone.
Reason 3 – Battle Pass as a New Motivation Incentive
A Battle Pass also fits very well with the live-service approach. Leaks had already mentioned such a system in Battlefield 6 (via GameStar). Through the EA survey, we now know that the developers are considering it.
Fortnite has demonstrated how well a Battle Pass can work in shooters. Give players 100 levels of cosmetic rewards and let them choose whether to buy the entire pass or collect fewer items through the free version. This could work well in BF.
How does Warzone implement this? The Battle Royale has a very fair Battle Pass and even offers gameplay-relevant content through it. For just around 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 allows you to unlock 1,300 points.
Additionally, there are two new weapons available at the start of the season in the Battle Pass that you have to earn. After the season, you can acquire these weapons through challenges if you didn’t manage to unlock them with the Battle Pass.
Reason 4 – Free2Play Celebrates Great Success
The survey about Battlefield 6 also touches on free game modes. The BF creators are asking their community if they would generally be interested in a Free2Play mode. This could be about a completely new game mode or an existing one.
With a Free2Play approach, Battlefield would open itself up to more players and could reach shooter fans who have previously avoided the franchise. Here, the developers could also benefit from the experiences with Apex Legends. Apex has been on the market for over two years, finances itself through in-game purchases, and could serve as a good template for a free Battlefield mode.
How does Warzone implement this? Call of Duty has shown Battlefield how to multiply player numbers with free-to-play titles. In 2020, CoD counted more players than ever before, and a large part of that was due to Warzone. The Battle Royale offers top-tier gunplay and the image of a premium title but lets you play everything for free.
This way, many players experienced CoD gameplay for the first time. This could potentially increase the sales of in-game items, boost player numbers, and also drive higher sales of the paid version.
Reason 5 – Firestorm Developers Join the BF6 Team
At the beginning of March, EA announced that a third development studio is working on Battlefield 6. In addition to DICE (main game) and DICE L.A. (service component), Criterion is also working on BF6 (via polygon.com). The studio had already helped with Battlefield 5 and was mainly involved in the Battle Royale Firestorm.
This could be another indication that Battlefield 6 will bring something “Battle Royale”-like to the start. Possibly directly as a free-to-play component of BF6, as EA’s survey suggests. In general, it could mean that more people are working on the title, and thus more content is planned than with Battlefield 5.
How does Warzone implement this? Warzone, or rather Call of Duty, has long been using multiple studios for their various titles, working on different entries in the series. In total, there are 4 studios. This allows them to release a new game with fresh content every year, which is also supplemented with more content during its lifespan.
By now, the latest titles in the series, Modern Warfare from 2019 and Black Ops Cold War from 2020, can be considered true service titles. After the release, new and free content enters the game through the seasons, creating new incentives to return. This ensures that the individual titles remain relevant until the launch of a new CoD, if everything goes well.
Battlefield has many fans and needs to evolve – both have been proven by BF5. It remains to be seen whether BF6 can meet the high expectations that players nowadays have for a shooter like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
Warzone has shown how it can work, and Battlefield also offers the foundation for such success. An insider says BF6 will be officially announced in May – by the time of the reveal, we will know more.
What do you think, what does BF6 need to do better than Battlefield 5 to be successful? Is a focus on service titles like CoD: Warzone the right path? How do you interpret the latest developments surrounding BF6? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
