Summary
It’s an interesting time for theBattlefieldfranchise. Coming off the heels of a pretty disastrous streak ofBattlefield VandBattlefield 2042, the long-running military shooter series is in a difficult spot, and a lot of pressure is riding on the shoulders of its next game, a game that’s just received a sliver of new information. Very recently, EA announced thatBattlefield 2042’s seventh seasonwould be its last, and that development was now fully ramping up on the series' next mainline entry, with EA Motive taking the reins of its single-player campaign.
Though the news is pretty surface-level, it’s still exciting to know that a newBattlefieldgame is in the works, even despite the series' reception in the last few years. But it’s not going to be a stress-free journey up to release for fans, with so much about the nextBattlefieldbeing completely unknown, including its setting. And while some recent rumors have suggested a modern-day setting could be on the cards for the nextBattlefield, the series might be better off revisiting an older era.
The Next Battlefield Game Should Return to World War 1
Battlefield 1 Is Still a Huge Success
Released in August 2016,Battlefield 1became an immediate critical hit, earning 9s across the board from the vast majority of outlets. Currently,Battlefield 1sits at an 89 on Metacritic for its PS4 version, making it one of the highest-rated games in the entire franchise, earning the same score asBattlefield 3andBattlefield 1942, and coming second only to2005’sBattlefield 2. And this praise wasn’t coming just from critics.
CountlessBattlefieldfans poured hours intoBattlefield 1when it first released, and made their adoration of the game abundantly clear. At the time, it was extremely rare for a video game to set itself in World War 1, especially an entry in a long-running AAA franchise. But the risk paid off, andBattlefield 1’s WW1 settinghelped it to stand apart completely from its competition, withCall of Duty’s 2016 entry being the ill-fated, future-setInfinite Warfare.
Almost a decade later,Battlefield 1is still one of the most beloved entries in franchise history, and it’s earned quite the legacy over the last eight years. Officially,Battlefield 1has sold over 15 million copies in its lifetime, and some sources even believe that number could be closer to 20 million at this point, though that’s unconfirmed.
After thedisappointing launch ofBattlefield 2042,Battlefield 1saw a resurgence, at least on Steam, with its player-base skyrocketing to over 50,000 in November 2022, according to SteamDB. Though its player-base dropped off gradually over the next few months,Battlefield 1has managed to maintain a very healthy active player-count, with its lowest drop of the last year and a half still seeing over 12,000 players enjoying the game. It’s clear thatBattlefield 1made a significant impact, and it might be time for the series to try and capture that again.
Another Battlefield Game Set in World War 1 Will Give Fans Exactly What They Want
While simply settinganotherBattlefieldgame in World War 1wouldn’t be enough to by itself to convince fans to hop back on board the franchise, it would be the perfect gateway to delivering some much-requested features. For a while now, manyBattlefieldfans have wanted a return to the series' immersive, historically-accurate roots, and a World War 1 setting seems like the perfect starting place to achieve that. Realistic weapon models and behavior, immersive battle-chatter, accurate sound design, destructible environments, and all the other immersive featuresBattlefieldfans want to see return to the series would all work seamlessly in a WW1 setting, just as they did back in 2016.
Battlefield 1
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the dawn of all-out war only in Battlefield 1. Fight your way through epic battles ranging from tight urban combat in a besieged French city to the heavily defended mountain forts in the Italian Alps or frantic combats in the deserts of Arabia. Use innovative weaponry and vehicles as you battle across the land, air and sea, and adapt your tactics to earth-shattering destruction.Discover a world at war through an adventure-filled campaign, or join in epic multiplayer clashes with up to 64 players, in the most dynamic battles in Battlefield history.
