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EA delays the next Need for Speed to focus on Battlefield
Criterion Games is helping out with the next Battlefield game, which is due out in the fall.
Dice is moving on from ‘Battlefield V’ and ‘Battlefront II’
A new Battlefield game will arrive next year
'Battlefield V' will get one last standalone update this summer
'Battlefield V' is winding down with a final standalone update that should arrive in June.
DICE cancels 'Battlefield V' close combat mode to help its focus
DICE has been piling features on Battlefield V ever since launch. Now, however, it's dialing things back. The developers have scrapped the planned five-on-five close combat mode after determining that it was needed to hit "bug-crushing and content goals" in a timely fashion, as Senior Producer Ryan McArthur put it. The team can not only "better deliver" on promises of material it knows people want, but offer "new ways" to enjoy current modes.
EA apologizes after 'Battlefield V' miscast a real-life antifascist
EA still has trouble with Battlefield V, albeit not in the way you might have expected. The company is changing the name of one of its purchasable Elite characters, Wilhelm Franke, after Vice pointed out that he shared the name of a real resistance fighter in Nazi Germany. The company "certainly didn't mean any disrespect" to the real Franke, and was "in the process" of the name switch.
Real-money transactions are coming to 'Battlefield V' tomorrow
Like it or not, EA's fondness for microtransactions has spread to Battlefield V. DICE and EA are launching a Battlefield Currency system on April 4th that uses real money for purchases, not just the virtual Company Coins you earn through gameplay. At first, it'll be used strictly for cosmetic items, including new Epic-ranked items. Later, however, it'll be used for items with a more practical effect on gameplay -- and that might not be the greatest news for gamers.
Updated 'Battlefield V' roadmap teases Pacific theater combat
Now that Battlefield V's long-promised battle royale mode is nearly here, how else are DICE and EA going to keep you interested? By moving the action halfway around the world, apparently. The developers have posted an updated roadmap teasing a fifth chapter in fall 2019 that might be set in the Pacific. While the team isn't directly sharing details beyond the hints of "all-out invasion" in a brand new theater, the title ("Awakening the Giant") says a lot. PC Gamer points out that Japan's Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was concerned the Pearl Harbor attack "awaken[ed] a sleeping giant" by dragging the US directly into the conflict. Don't be surprised if BFV has you island-hopping as the US first reels from the Japanese assault and eventually turns the tables.
The latest 'Star Wars Battlefront II' mode mixes human and AI players
DICE and EA are determined to keep Star Wars Battlefront II fresh a year after the loot box fiasco effectively came to an end. They're releasing an update on March 26th that introduces Capital Supremacy, a Clone Wars-era mode that includes AI characters for the first time in competitive Battlefront II matches. Two teams of 20 human players, each augmented by 12 computer-guided troopers, will race to invade each other's spaceships. It's a complex, multi-stage mode that could lead to prolonged fights if there are any big upsets.
'Battlefield V' gameplay trailer shows its take on battle royale
In the wake of seemingly endless teases and leaks, DICE and EA are ready to show gameplay from Battlefield V's imminent Firestorm battle royale mode. True to the scoops, it's not quite a cookie-cutter BR experience. While you'll have familiar mechanics like dropping into the arena, an ever shrinking circle and varying gear quality, you can also complete objectives (such as contestable resupply points) and unlock safes to score better equipment. Get knocked down and you'll still have a pistol to defend yourself, so enemies take a risk if they come to finish you off.
'Battlefield V' 64-player battle royale arrives March 25th
After months of waiting, Battlefield V's long-promised (but conspicuously absent) battle royale mode is nearly here. DICE and EA plan to make Firestorm available on March 25th to all players, and they've shed more light on what the mode will involve in a reveal trailer (below). The 64-player experience will take place on the largest Battlefield map to date, Halvoy, and will grant access to some rather unusual advantages if you complete objectives. Apparently, a farm tractor carrying artillery is one of your options. You can also expect helicopters, tanks and one-time perks like V-1 strikes.
'Battlefield V' finally supports DLSS anti-aliasing
For a flagship single-person shooter, Battlefield V didn't exactly set the sales chart alight. But EA Dice keeps cranking out the updates to keep devotees happy, while everyone else waits for its incoming battle royale mode. And so we come to Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes Update #3, which is out now. The biggest change, aside from a new co-op mode (we'll get to that later), is support for NVIDIA's performance-boosting DLSS tech and optimized ray-tracing for GeForce RTX graphics cards.
'Battlefield V' didn't sell as well as EA hoped it would
Video game sales were particularly cutthroat last holiday, and it appears EA's Battlefield V was one of the casualties. The publisher lowered the outlook for its revenue this quarter after revealing that its sales in the last quarter of 2018 "did not perform to our expectations." While it didn't explicitly blame BFV for the shortfall, that was undoubtedly the company's flagship game -- it otherwise relied on sports titles and the mobile-only Command & Conquer Rivals. The firm wasn't shy about acknowledging "intense competition" as a factor.
'Battlefield V' does a better job of explaining why you died
The latest Battlefield V update might not include a truckload of content, but it could still have a dramatic impact on how you play the game. The initial Chapter 2: Lightning Strikes update has arrived, and it makes significant changes to the "death experience" to clearly explain why you died. There's now a camera that tracks your killer, and you'll see their name in the game world when they take you down. It should be clearer when you're under threat, too -- tracer rounds should consistently appear as if they're coming from the shooter, and directional damage indicators are more accurate. These sound like simple changes, but they could make a huge difference for Battlefield newcomers (who may be frustrated with seemingly arbitrary deaths) as well as veterans hoping to learn from their mistakes.
The first major 'Battlefield V' update arrives December 4th
EA DICE is about to release the first of Battlefield V's numerous major updates, and it's clear that the studio wants to start off on a strong note. "Overture" is launching December 4th with an intriguing (and apparently "emotional") single-player story, "The Last Tiger," as its centerpiece. You join an isolated Tiger tank crew in the last days of World War II as it not only tries to fend off the Allies in a hopeless last stand, but starts to "question the ideology" that led them to that situation. It might not represent a grand philosophical discussion, but it's weightier material than you might have expected for a free post-launch story.
'Battlefield V' won't have battle royale until spring 2019
You'll have to wait a while if you want to see Battlefield V's much-touted battle royale mode. EA DICE has detailed the post-launch roadmap for its WWII shooter, and the vaunted "Firestorm" battle royale experience will arrive as part of a "Trial by Fire" chapter starting in March 2019 (it's not clear if the mode will be available right away). While the last-one-standing experience isn't the only tentpole feature of BFV, it's safe to say this will be disappointing if you expected to play it over the holidays.
EA delays 'Battlefield V' to November 20th
DICE knows a thing or two about the perils of shipping a game before it's ready. That's why it and Electronic Arts are pushing the release date for Battlefield V back by almost a month. The World War II shooter will now be released on November 20th instead of October 19th. That puts it out of spitting distance of Red Dead Redemption 2 (out October 26th), the game seemingly every other publisher is trying to avoid on calendar.
EA teases battle royale in new ‘Battlefield V’ trailer
Developer EA DICE is returning to WWII with its upcoming Battlefield V, an interesting choice to revisit a war well-trod by gaming. But the company told us back in May that they're repeating the successful Battlefield 1 by spotlighting lesser-known stories and battles, even in multiplayer. Today, the developer released a trailer ahead of Gamescom showing off one of these lesser-known settings -- Rotterdam in the Netherlands -- and even teasing the game's previously-announced battle royale mode.
EA's design chief is leaving the company
EA's turmoil isn't over yet. Chief Design Officer Patrick Söderlund is leaving the publisher after years in various positions, and mere months after receiving a promotion to his current role. It's not clear why he's leaving or where he'll go next, but he'll transition out over the course of three months as the company reshuffles itself to accommodate his exit. The cross-disciplinary SEED team will join EA's studios group, while Ubisoft and Zynga veteran Jason Wozencroft is joining the company to lead user experience design. EA's Orignals and Partners teams, meanwhile, are folding into its Strategic Growth unit.
'Battlefield V' returns to WWII with ever-evolving multiplayer
Games in the Battlefield franchise have covered conflicts from the Vietnam War to a fictional future in 2142. Developer EA DICE took the series into new territory in 2016 with the well-received Battlefield 1, setting the game in the rarely touched World War I era. For the next installment, Battlefield V (let's just not talk about the naming convention) returns to where the franchise started: World War II. As you know, the conflict comes up time and time again in films and games, but DICE hopes Battlefield V will tell some of its untold stories, and link these narratives to an ever-changing multiplayer experience intended to keep players interested, and logging back into the fight. Oh, and you won't have pay for the privilege of new content either.
EA pulls in-game purchases from 'Star Wars: Battlefront II'
The launch of Star Wars: Battlefront II has been marred by controversy over the game's loot system. While players can earn bonuses like new heroes, equipment and vehicles by playing to earn credits that purchase loot crates, they could also buy more crates with "crystals" sold for real-world money. Predictably, the effect of this came off as allowing or encouraging players to pay to win, which has made gamers and even some regulators unhappy. Tonight, EA announced it's pulling the plug on all in-game purchases, as DICE GM Oskar Gabrielson said the company will "spend more time listening, adjusting, balancing and tuning." At first the company tried making some heroes easier to earn, but clearly, that wasn't enough. Gabrielson says that the plan is for crystal purchases to return eventually, but it's difficult to see how that will be received well if players are still buying items that have a real impact. While the "digital deluxe edition" has already been playable for a few days, the game's worldwide launch is happening now -- let us know if this changes your decision to buy.
