Although the developers of Battlefield 5 originally had a strong opinion about character customization, they are now backing down. Instead of “Buy it or not,” they are now showing a willingness to compromise.
When Battlefield 5 released its reveal trailer, it received significant criticism for two features:
- You can play as a woman
- The colorful character customizations are exaggerated
Both appeared unrealistic to players. However, the developers quickly found words to respond to this criticism, stating just a few hours later: Women and character customization will remain in the game.
The deal: You should still be able to customize your character with cool gear in Battlefield 5. But it should be authentic. Less extravagant.
Nothing is off the table: They want to try out items in the future that might be a bit more extravagant. However, if those don’t go over well, they can easily remove those items. For now, they want to approach character customization in Battlefield 5 authentically.
So much for “buy it or leave it”
DICE clearly shows that fan feedback is important to them and that they ultimately listen to fans in this controversial decision.
Initially a definite stance: In response to players criticizing the lack of authenticity due to female characters, EA’s Chief Creative Officer at the time, Patrick Söderlund, made strong statements. He clearly stated: Those who do not understand the decision have two options: accept it or don’t buy the game.
Söderlund has since left Electronic Arts.
Attitude invites mockery: Although women remain playable in Battlefield 5, the “buy it or leave it” attitude has brought a lot of mockery to Battlefield 5. This has now turned into a meme in recent videos about Battlefield 5.
Players write, “Buy it or leave it. Good, we won’t buy it. HA!” This references that Battlefield 5 is struggling in pre-sales.
Now the compromise: DICE’s willingness to engage with fans and scale back character customization shows that they do care about fans. It also shows that fans have a lot of influence over how Battlefield 5 is designed. These are no longer the developers who say: We have the game here – Either you like it, or you don’t buy it.
Battlefield 5 is set to be released on November 20 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The original release in October was delayed – away from Red Dead Redemption 2
What initially seemed very definitive is now softened by a compromise: Character customization will remain in the game, but it will not be so colorful.
Battlefield 5 should be authentic
In a livestream, Battlefield producer Andrew Gulotta and community manager Dan Mitre discussed Battlefield 5. They also addressed character customization.
Developers listen to fans: The developers have clearly heard the outcry from fans. Such crazy character customizations, as seen in the reveal trailer, will not be present in the final game.
“Back in the reveal trailer, we saw some pretty crazy stuff,” Mitre explains in an interview. Such massively crazy things will not be in the game.
They are still looking at Battlefield 5 through the eyes of DICE. However, the developers understand the concern that authenticity could be lost with such extravagant character customizations. Therefore, they have scaled back the options. Just as the fans wish.
The deal: You should still be able to customize your character with cool gear in Battlefield 5. But it should be authentic. Less extravagant.
Nothing is off the table: They want to try out items in the future that might be a bit more extravagant. However, if those don’t go over well, they can easily remove those items. For now, they want to approach character customization in Battlefield 5 authentically.
So much for “buy it or leave it”
DICE clearly shows that fan feedback is important to them and that they ultimately listen to fans in this controversial decision.
Initially a definite stance: In response to players criticizing the lack of authenticity due to female characters, EA’s Chief Creative Officer at the time, Patrick Söderlund, made strong statements. He clearly stated: Those who do not understand the decision have two options: accept it or don’t buy the game.
Söderlund has since left Electronic Arts.
Attitude invites mockery: Although women remain playable in Battlefield 5, the “buy it or leave it” attitude has brought a lot of mockery to Battlefield 5. This has now turned into a meme in recent videos about Battlefield 5.
Players write, “Buy it or leave it. Good, we won’t buy it. HA!” This references that Battlefield 5 is struggling in pre-sales.
Now the compromise: DICE’s willingness to engage with fans and scale back character customization shows that they do care about fans. It also shows that fans have a lot of influence over how Battlefield 5 is designed. These are no longer the developers who say: We have the game here – Either you like it, or you don’t buy it.
Battlefield 5 is set to be released on November 20 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The original release in October was delayed – away from Red Dead Redemption 2
