The fall is always a busy launch schedule, but 2018’s is looking especially packed. So packed, in fact, that even Battlefield V has rather wisely moved itself clear of heavy-hitting franchises such as Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, and a little game you may have heard of called Red Dead Redemption 2. According to analysts, that was a wise move, with pre-orders for the title weak not looking particularly sharp. This is, by no means saying that no one is excited. Battlefield V will still sell well and be profitable, but as a consumer, money and time are limited and we can’t possibly be interested in all of this fall’s releases. So what would it take to generate more interest in Battlefield V?
Cross Play
Yep, this is a big one. Ten years ago, the idea of this would be laughable, but now that (most) companies are playing nice with one another, it doesn’t seem all that far fetched. I’m no expert with how the design of cross play works, but if Rocket League can do it, surely the huge team at DICE could pull this off. Of course, it would be up to the platform itself (e.g., Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo) but even having cross play between PC and Xbox One would be a good start. This would also generate some much-needed goodwill, especially after the less than desirable press EA received last year. It seems that CEO of EA, Andrew Wilson is also open to the idea, per a report of their Q1 earnings call. The actual usage and implementation of cross play would be neat, but more importantly, this would generate discussion and get more people to talk about Battlefield V.
Keep the Free Content Coming
It’s hard to believe a company that has been consistent and notorious for its season pass content will be ditching the paid DLC for Battlefield V entirely. We’ve gotten so used to everything having paid content, so this notion is unexpected but a welcome surprise. EA revealed Tides of War, a series of ever-changing experiences for the community, that will receive constant updates and content – all for free. The pessimistic side of me has a fear that the community won’t get as much content because it’s free. That remains to be seen, but it would behoove EA to get on everyone’s good side and, again, generate a discussion. Think of games like Rainbow Six: Siege, For Honor, or even Splatoon 2. Sure, there’s a bunch of paid content in those games, but the conversation surrounding those games is overwhelmingly positive because of the continued support from the devs. EA can start that positive reception by giving fans a slew of free content that matches the amount of the previous Premium Passes.
Expand Upon Features From Battlefield 1’s Campaign
The single-player mode from Battlefield 1 had some really cool sections that seemed innovative for the time. Instead of a story where you play as the same character the entire time, overcoming superhuman feats and murdering an unbelievable amount of enemy soldiers, Battlefield 1 had five smaller stories, each with their own character you could play as. This was praised because it added a fresh take on the stale idea of what a military shooter’s story should be. With Battlefield V, it would be awesome to see this pushed further.
One idea is to expand upon the mechanic from Battlefield 1’s intro level, Storm of Steel. This level is awesome. In a nutshell, you have unlimited lives because every time you die, you respawn as a different soldier on the field, but don’t lose any progress because there is no checkpoint system. Having this feature gets rid of the frustration of consistently dying, and actually makes sense since there are so many soldiers in the area. It would be neat to see this implemented throughout the entire campaign. In Battlefield 1, it’s only done on this one mission, which is a shame. There are some other neat additions, like the challenges in each level, and the ability to use stealth during many sections. In short – Battlefield 1 had some fantastic features that Battlefield V should most definitely include.
Get Weird
When compared to this fall’s competition, there are a lot of games being released with a sense of weirdness. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey allows you to fight Medusa, Pokemon Let’s Go! is…well…Pokemon, and Black Ops IIII is doing its thing with zombies. Yes, only one of those aforementioned games is a first-person shooter, but those games still add to the already crowded list of releases this holiday and may be detracting from Battlefield V. After looking at the other games being released, Battlefield V seems vanilla and straightforward, even if it will be a good game. That isn’t a knock against its quality, but, again, if the goal is to stand out, there’s a lot in the way.
There was a time when Battlefield did weird stuff, like including a freaking megalodon as an Easter egg in Battlefield 4’s multiplayer. That’s the Battlefield that needs to come out swinging this fall. World War II is a serious subject, of course, but there is most definitely a way to add some personality to it without it being distasteful. DICE can start by making the characters in the campaign witty and well written, but maybe add alternate history sections with a unique take on the war. It can be as weird as including aliens or mechs, or something to break from the realism. EA has said that player experience is more important than historical accuracy, so why not take liberties and add some weirdness?
There is no doubt that Battlefield V will be a good game —that’s not the issue. The problem is that, despite its undoubtedly positive reception, it may not do well commercially, because of the other heavy hitters at the end of the year. EA and DICE need to add a unique twist to Battlefield V, something that is well beyond just adding stunning visuals and cool multiplayer modes. Having free content is a fantastic start, but without some drastic changes, Battlefield V may not perform as well as EA is hoping this year.
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