The Battlefield series has always offered a fantastic slice of adrenaline-fueled action. But even some of those who love the more recent entries look back and reminisce about Battlefield's halcyon days. And a throwback to those earlier titles could be exactly what Battlefield 6 offers.
As the first entry to utilize the capabilities of next-gen hardware, and with the dominant success of Warzone looming over any FPS, many eyes are on Battlefield 6, with many waiting to see if the latest entry in the storied franchise can go back. in classic form, and once again stand up to the best.
With DICE Managing Director Oskar Gabrielson stating that the next entry [in the Battlefield series] will bring “epic scale”, “all-out military warfare” and “crazy and unexpected moments”, we can’t help but think about what will happen.
That said, there are a number of boxes that Battlefield 6 will inevitably have to tick (six, in fact) to hit the mark. Let's get in there.
A real focus on weapons
While it's not the only offender in the shooter genre, Battlefield's arsenals have gradually and steadily dwindled over time, leaving fewer and fewer weapons to choose from. This is something made even bigger with more recent entries locking weapons to specific classes.
With a diminishing variety of weapon choices, it's become incredibly common (and easy) to choose one weapon and stick with it. And with lackluster upgrade trees, weapon customization can be almost ignored by the casual gamer.
With a supposed return to a modern setting, Battlefield 6 needs to make weapon selection and customization a priority. A quick glance at any weapon menu in Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4 highlights the abysmal state weapon selection has evolved into with Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V.
However, the choice and variety of weapons aren't the only issues on this front.
Alongside some of its contemporaries, Battlefield's weaponry hasn't stood the test of time; they feel relatively weak and identical. Dive into a game of Apex Legends or Warzone, and the weapons are unique, whether it's the fast and snappy R99 or the heavy and powerful AX-50. Battlefield 6 has the ability to make handling each of its weapons a real sense of personality, and with Sony's Duelsense showing just how effective haptic feedback and adaptive triggers can be, the possibilities get quite interesting.
Game-changing destruction
Destruction is what makes Battlefield Battlefield. No other modern shooter offers the highs that come with leveling a building or smashing through a wall to create a new path. And of course, let's not forget the series once we knocked down an entire skyscraper.
However, in the last two entries destruction has taken a noticeable step back, despite their use of the Frostbite 3 engine. While some maps may let you flatten a city, a la Narvik in Battlefield V, they are more like decorations than anything else; there is an unequal selection of what can and cannot be destroyed.
Reintroducing the types of destruction found in games like Battlefield 2 and Battlefield Bad Company, would restore a sense of diversity to gameplay. Destruction would not only be an obstacle in the end, but again, a tactic in itself.
Wider but balanced matches
Collectively, scaled map size and a balanced player count are extremely important to the success of Battlefield 6. Behemoth maps, such as Caspians Border in Battlefield 4 and the classic Metro Operation in Battlefield 3, have been among the most visually impressive in the series. Combine these card designs with a swell score and a full team on your side, and these clashes are nothing short of magical.
However, over the years Battlefield has gained a reputation for developing maps that are too big for squads. Battlefield V offers some truly stunning and colossal maps, but with teams limited to 32 players, these battlefields can often feel empty, resulting in long, uninterrupted spells of running towards the combat zone, rather than being there. Get killed just before you succeed or just as you enter the fray, and entire matches could be spent just running from point to point.
With the latest tech fueling their upcoming business and an already widespread player count of 128+, let's hope Battlefield 6 strives to strike the right balance between team size and map size.
Be a true Next-Gen experience
After delays and months of silence, Battlefield 6 has been confirmed to be coming to current and last-gen consoles. With much more mixed progression from generation to generation – as well as the continued stock issues of next-gen consoles – it's really no surprise that EA doesn't want to isolate millions of last-gen players.
However, as typical team-based multiplayer experiences like Call of Duty remain basically the same as 15 years ago, and battle royales have dragged on for over half a decade, there's hope that Battlefield could ushering in the true beginning of next-gen multiplayer.
Battlefield has always been associated with stunning graphics and scale almost unmatched in the online space. Now that we can play games with 200 other players on huge maps, Battlefield really needs to pull out all the stops.
While understandably unlikely, Battlefield could easily focus on a high-end experience on next-gen consoles and PCs. An unrestricted version of Battlefield 6 could allow the entry to act as a throwback to the franchise's classic form, empowering it to set a new standard for modern multiplayer shooters.
Since that won't happen, at least we know the game will get performance boosts with next-gen fixes and upgrades, much like titles like Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Hopefully, though, this split between the two generations doesn't mean we'll get more of the same.
Revamped Battle Royale
Okay, nobody's going to cry over the failure of Firestorm, the ill-fated battle royale locked down in Battlefield V. Compare Firestorm to really any battle royale and you'll quickly notice the glaring balance issues, messy UI and the overall experience lackluster. However, the reason Battle Royale made it to this list is that there is a fantastic Battle Royale game in Firestorm, and EA and Dice just need the opportunity to root it out.
Much like Blackout worked for Warzone to work, Firestorm could be the learning experience DICE needs to make its way to market, bringing with it all the destruction, gameplay, map design and scale. which Battlefield is known for.
One of Firestorm's biggest mistakes was locking its mode behind a paywall, which meant players had to buy Battlefield V to play Firestorm. While a free-to-play battle royale may seem counterproductive to the success of Battlefield 6, tying the experience to each new title, as we've seen with Modern Warfare and Cold War, could snowball interest in this franchise – something they've recently struggled with.
Streamlined live service elements
Battlefield has amassed an engaged community, with lobbies still filling in the now eight-year-old Battlefield 4, but when it comes to mainstream audiences, recent releases have struggled to sustain reasons to play.
With Battlefield V taking a step in the right direction by dropping the paid season pass a full year before Call of Duty, it ultimately failed to keep players interested due to a lack of post-launch content. With Warzone currently enjoying its 80s Action Heroes event and Apex Legends just weeks into its ninth season, Battlefield 6 must learn to maintain a steady stream of content that will keep its players playing.
Recent statements from EA CEO Andrew Wilson also highlight the live service elements that will make their way into the next installment. Wilson told GameSpot, "And I think it's going to be an incredible relaunch of this franchise this year and lead us to an incredible live service going forward. »
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Undeniably, there's a lot of pressure on the next Battlefield. It needs to succeed in so many places to position itself among those who currently dominate the FPS landscape. But not only have gaming expectations changed since its last release, but the climate of the industry itself has changed as well. We're crossing our fingers that Battlefield 6 survives the coming war.
