Battlefield 6has a long road ahead of it to win back the trust of its broader player base, but a recent leak might have negated everything it has built up to so far. While it has been taken with a grain of salt from the series' past endeavors, everything that EA has officially revealed for the upcomingBattlefield 6has already shown a lot of promise. From bringing back iconic mechanics like class-based squads and returning to a more gritty modern setting, everything looked great forBattlefielduntil these recent leaks.
Even when the incredibly promising pre-alpha footage forBattlefield 6was leaked, many fans were still worried aboutanother disaster likeBattlefield 2042. While many of these concerns were entirely related to past entries rather than what was actually shown,the sheer amount of hype surrounding the initial reveal trailer forBattlefield 2042is more than enough reason to remain cautious in the meantime. Although it is too early to completely write offBattlefield 6, I’m still incredibly concerned that EA doesn’t understand whatBattlefieldfans want on a fundamental level after this recent leak.
Battlefield 6 Allegedly Has A Battle Royale Mode
A Concerning Shift In Direction For The Future Of Battlefield
WhileBattlefield 6was already rumored to be releasing alongside a battle royale mode of some kind,several data miners confirmed the battle royale’s existence alongside more information about it. According toInsider Gaming, the upcoming mode will include plenty of traditional mechanics such as"solo, duo, trio, and squad matches, an armor system, call-ins, loot rarity, update kits and weapons, and a shrinking zone.“While all of these features are nothing new for the genre, that’s my biggest problem with the leaks, as it doesn’t seem to offer anything to stand apart from the crowd.
“I Literally Gasped”: Leaked Battlefield 6 Concept Art Shows A War-Torn Version Of An Iconic NYC Neighborhood
Leaked images of Battlefield 6 concept art show that the series may be coming to NYC in the next installment, and fans are excited about it.
Following the less-than-positive reception toBattlefield Vand the absolute disaster ofBattlefield 2024, it’s clear that the upcomingBattlefield 6will be a majormake-or-break entryfor the series. Thankfully,the Battle Royale mode is planned to be released as a separate free-to-play addition alongsideBattlefield 6,similar toCall of Duty: Warzone,according to the leaks, rather than taking up direct resources from the upcoming title. While there’s a chance that a battle royale mode could take advantage ofBattlefield’s unique mechanics for a fresh experience, it raises some reasonable concerns over EA’s focus on the series.
Battle Royales Aren’t The Big Multiplayer Trend Anymore
Chasing A Dying Trend Could Easily Do More Harm Than Good
The biggest initial hurdle facingBattlefield 6’s battle royale mode is how late it’s showing up to the trend, with the battle royale genre being a fraction of its past stranglehold on the market. This isn’t to say that the battle royale genre is completely dead, as games likeApex Legends,Fortnite, andWarzonestill perform consistently well through microtransactions. Given the staggering amount of money Apex Legends has generated since its launch,it’s not much of a surprise that EA would try to replicate the formula again, but it will have a hard time competing with such established franchises.
Most ofBattlefield’s biggest mistakes in the past can be boiled down to trying to replicate the success of other franchises.
Even if the battle royale mode managed to capture enough of an audience to survive in the long run, it could easily do more harm than good for the series. Most ofBattlefield’s biggest mistakes in the past can be boiled down to trying to replicate the success of other franchises, with the leaked battle royale sharing a concerning number of similarities toWarzone. Rather than copying the formulas of other games,EA could still see success for both its battle royale project andBattlefield 6if it simply sticks to what makes the series unique.
Battlefield 6 Needs To Focus On What Makes Battlefield Special
Bringing Back The Chaotic Tactics That Made The Series So Popular
TheBattlefieldfranchise has always had an incredibly talented team of concept artists at the helm, butthe gritty boots-on-the-ground combat, gritty cityscapes like Brooklyn, and expansive battlefields are promising hints that EA still has some semblance of what makes theBattlefieldfranchise so iconic. While there’s still room for new mechanics and environmental experimentation,Battlefield2042 showed that sticking with the franchise’s strengths of semi-tactical squad-based combat alongside a focus on destructible environments is where the series shines best.
I’m trying to remain hesitantly optimistic that the leaked battle royale mode could act as a beneficial companion toBattlefield 6to help fund its future content updates.
AlthoughBattlefield 6initially won me over byaddressing my biggest problemwith the series by introducingBattlefieldLabsto respond to player feedback long before release,this recent announcement has pushed me back on the side of skepticism. While I’m trying to remain hesitantly optimistic that the leaked battle royale mode could act as a beneficial companion toBattlefield 6to help fund its future content updates, it could easily overshadow the game if done incorrectly.
Battlefield 6 Gameplay Leaks Are Already Fixing My Biggest Battlefield 2042 Complaints
Playtest footage from the next Battlefield has leaked, and even this limited glimpse has me optimistic it’ll turn out better than Battlefield 2042.
Based on the performance of recent entries in theBattlefieldseries and how EA has treated theTitanfallfranchise following the success ofApex Legends,there’s a very real concern that this could be the last time we see a properBattlefieldgame in its true form before a massive shift in development focus. Regardless of these worries, games likeWarzonecould provide a buildable reference point for EA on how to balance the upcoming game modes ofBattlefield6in tandem, even if the competitor is far from perfect in its current state.
Source:Tom Henderson/Insider Gaming
Battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042 is another entry in the long-running Battlefield series. In this online multiplayer first-person shooter, the world has broken out in turmoil over rising seas, political tensions, and satellite crashes causing mass blackouts. In each match, players take on the role of a specialist to fight against other players on the battlefield.
