Missing In Action: Where is Battlefield’s Next Chapter?

No Imminent Battlefield Release

I remember the days of my childhood, when Battlefield and Call of Duty were in a dead heat for the hearts and minds of players everywhere. Hell, in that era, even games like Medal of Honor and SOCOM were loved by many. Looking back on it, I don’t think people realized how good we had it in those days. Every release by Battlefield was met with a counterpunch from COD, and vice versa. The campaigns were fresh, the gameplay was exhilarating.

This year, I think some (myself included) might’ve been expecting a new installment in the Battlefield franchise. Evidently, this will not be the case. As we get closer to the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, I thought I’d dig into Battlefield’s state of affairs. How did a beloved IP get into such a rut? Where will it go next?

A Beloved Franchise

From the get-go, Battlefield was my first-person shooter of choice. I had my fun with COD titles, but their arcade-style combat never fully resonated with me. Call of Duty multiplayer and zombies weren’t bombastic enough. I needed the levolution-filled, vehicular mass assault, baby. Besides, with me being on PlayStation 3 and all of my friends on Xbox 360, I never really felt the sway of the COD zeitgeist. I played online in a solo PlayStation party and did my own thing. My parents’ refusal to let me play any shooter until my early teens, also had an impact.

My earliest memories of Battlefield come from playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at my friend’s house. With the unique story and the quirky characters, there was a unique charm that this game carried. As I picked up older releases and new titles came out, I started becoming more acquainted with more of their catalog. Like anything, there was a mix of games that shined and those that flopped.

Smashing Battlefield Successes

Battlefield’s early successes like Battlefield: 1942 and Bad Company laid a foundation for its gradual rise to mainstream popularity. However, the serialized releases of Battlefield 2, 3, and 4 really drove this franchise to its peak. These three cornerstones of the brand allowed players to reenact modern combat scenarios and all the chaos they entailed.

In a departure from modern combat, Battlefield I’s take on the First World War was widely acclaimed. Its campaign story was gritty, its map design was excellent, and its gameplay was fluid. On top of that, World War I has generally been underutilized as the setting for first-person shooters. Granted, games like Verdun and Isonzo are great in their own right.

Fool-Hearted Battlefield Flops

Trying to capitalize on Battlefield 4’s dominance, Battlefield: Hardline’s release left a lot to be desired. A departure from its usual military environment, Hardline instead focused on a game of cops and robbers. It’s hard to hate on this one too much because its developers stuck their necks out on a bold concept. It was Payday, but bigger and more explosive. I think this game hit a wall when there wasn’t much room to expand post-launch. Once you’ve robbed one bank, you’ve robbed them all.

Following a smash hit in Battlefield I, Battlefield V fell flat. One would think a game set in the Second World War was foolproof – especially utilizing the vehicular systems that made this series unique. However, bugged gameplay, a tired campaign, and oft-debated historical inaccuracy plagued its lifecycle. After launching in late 2018, its development was abandoned shortly after release, with its final update being dropped in mid-2020. As V squandered a massive opportunity, games like Post Scriptum and Hell Let Loose delivered an incredibly authentic WWII experience.

Battlefield 2042’s Lackluster Display

With the disappointment of Battlefield V, many looked forward to Battlefield 2042 as a beacon of hope. By and large, the fanbase even seemed okay with ending V’s development abruptly if it meant focusing all efforts on the next project. In the end, it wouldn’t matter. 2042’s launch in November of 2021 was, by all accounts, broken. Its setting in a hyper-generic near-future world felt bland. Its tweaking of the beloved class system was questioned. The lack of a campaign mode offered no game mode alternative to its player base.

I don’t own 2042, but I’ve played enough of it through Game Pass and friends’ systems to be acquainted with it. To me, it’s evident that this was intended to be a super-safe, can’t-miss entry. Nothing flashy, no huge risks taken, but it’s somewhat devoid of the franchise’s soul. I’d argue that Hardline, a game completely different than all others, felt like more of an entry than this. Being set in the near-future also didn’t excuse its poor gameplay decisions. Because it’s the year 2042, does that mean we need combat wingsuits? Surely that wouldn’t contribute to frustrating gameplay. Yes, that sentence was steeped in sarcasm. I was on the receiving end of MANY cheesy wingsuit kills in my short time playing.

Roadblocks to a Modern Setting

Many longtime fans of the Battlefield IP have simply wanted a rehash of Battlefield 2, 3, and 4. Just pit the United States against other global powers like Russia and China. Easy, right? Not exactly. You don’t need a political science degree to understand that a lot has changed in the world in recent years. Actual armed conflicts have broken out, tension in political spheres has sharply risen, and this does affect game creation. Before, pitting countries against one another in video games might’ve been merely considered a feature of its storytelling. Now, naming countries explicitly can attract more trouble than it’s worth.

Placing a game in the setting of modern conflict is tricky because no country wants to be seen as the game’s aggressor. As such, studios who pit nations against one another find their work at risk of being banned from sale. I recently picked up Battlefield 4 for the first time in forever so I could play through its campaign again. Its story certainly isn’t shy about labeling China as a villain, and it would never be done in today’s political climate. It was banned by China’s Ministry of Culture in 2013, and I’m sure companies have been careful in this regard ever since. A sales ban, especially in a large market like China, means money left on the table.

Where To Go From Here

The Battlefield series has now gone two straight games without a proper hit. Disenfranchised with the state of the brand, some have even moved on. To a certain extent, I’ve moved on, too. One of these days, I might pick up 2042 on sale. I’ve heard some decent improvements were made post-launch. Still, the title doesn’t excite me. How can the Battlefield braintrust bring back that feeling? They need to set their next title in a time period that truly provides them a blank slate.

The Gulf War and its accompanying 1990s vibe is being covered this year by Black Ops 6. If it were me, I’d be looking at the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s for a historically-focused entry. The Battlefield franchise has touched on conflicts like the Vietnam War, but I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about NATO in all-out ground forces combat versus the Warsaw Pact. Where is that experience in their catalog?

A Cold War Winner?

The Cold War has routinely been used as an agreeable setting for war-related media. The arms race, the Red Scare, and its associated proxy conflicts all combine for an interesting theater. Because the Cold War never really went ‘hot’, fictional stories set within the period usually speculate on how direct conflict would’ve unfolded. It essentially allows you to concoct a perfect balance of grounded historicism, while allowing room for creative liberty. Giving credit where credit is due, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War was awesome, in my opinion. We’ve seen the smaller-scale COD journey to this period, let’s see Battlefield take a crack at it!

A game set in the Cold War time period would generally be free of country-specific issues. For example, the Warsaw Pact’s communist member nations have since dissolved, and portrayal of them should be seen as acceptable. Building on my earlier point about this issue, I maintain that the use of nation vs. nation in a war game is necessary. Wars are fought between nations, and the use of national identities adds imagined international ramifications to combat scenarios. And yes, at the end of the day, a video game is just a video game. However, simulations, especially those in historic settings, should properly immerse you in their world.

The Battlefield Rumor Mill

This month, a report from Game Rant emerged suggesting Battlefield’s next venture could be open world in nature. This comes from a developer job listing, which cited open-world expertise as a major asset. What does this mean? Does it mean an open, continuously-evolving combat theater, reminiscent of Helldivers 2? Or, does EA merely want someone to make expansive multiplayer maps that can accommodate a massive single-match player count? They kind of already did that in 2042‘s 128-player maps, so it’s hard to think even bigger than that.

However interesting this could be, it is alarming to think that EA is potentially overthinking a simple formula once again. Trying to unnecessarily expand the scope of an already-flailing product could be disastrous. On the other hand, Battlefield has never shied away from large experiences. Whatever this could be related to, could fit well within their wheelhouse.

Battlefield Competition Brewing

Recently, a Battlefield-esque online FPS has scrambled onto the scene. Delta Force: Hawk Ops, a game currently in alpha, has captured some of what has been lost in recent years. The gunplay looks flashy, the explosions look crisp, and things look rightfully chaotic. Seeing clips of gameplay on my X timeline, it looked like it was made by EA and Dice. As confidence in the product dwindles, it’s only natural for others to try and fill the void.

If EA wants to restore the confidence of its player base, it has to urgently return to its roots. Trying to play it safe with a multiplayer-only 2042 really wasn’t safe at all. Give the masses what made the Battlefield franchise successful: traditional classes, chaotic levolution, and vehicular madness capped off with a solid campaign. Couple this return to normalcy with an intriguing Cold War setting, and we could be off to the races once again.