DICE is releasing a final update for its World War II shooter Battlefield V this summer before moving on to new projects. Battlefield V is the most recent installment in DICE’s long-running first-person shooter series, released in 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game continues the traditional Battlefield formula by featuring large-scale online battles, vehicular combat, and destructive environments. It also saw a return to World War II for the series, after a long line of modern-day settings and its precedent Battlefield 1 which took players to the seldom-seen World War I. It features a single-player campaign made up of several independent chapters that focus on different theatres of war, from Normandy to North Africa, a format first introduced in 1.
Beyond its return to the once-ubiquitous setting of World War II, V‘s biggest departure from the modern Battlefield formula was its lack of a “Premium” pass. In previous games, players could purchase a Premium pass to unlock map packs, weapons, vehicles, and cosmetic items. Battlefield V dropped Premium for a live service model, where all players would receive map packs and game modes gradually after launch, including its disappointing battle royale mode. Reception to this model was mixed, as many found the game shallow at launch, although publisher EA has confirmed that the next game will have live service.
A blog post on EA.com confirmed that service on the game will end this summer. Following the end of the “Into the Jungle” chapter later this week, Battlefield V will get one last content update that brings “some new content, weapons, and game tweaks”. Following this final update, players will receive in-game currency as weekly rewards to help unlock any outstanding gear. The blog post also mentions new community events to bring the players together for Battlefield V’s last hurrah.
DICE announced that the wait for the next Battlefield would be a little longer than usual, with a planned release for the Fiscal 2022 year, which would put it in late 2021 at the earliest. DICE’s LA studio was announced to be undergoing a rebranding ahead of work on a new IP, which might have limited some of their firepower for the next installment. Recently, EA and DICE have been alternating between Battlefield and Star Wars: Battlefront releases, so it’s possible that a new Battlefront could tide players over until the next Battlefield‘s release in a couple of years.
Fans might also be hoping that EA is taking their time with their next release to make sure that it feels complete on Day 1, following the lukewarm releases of Battlefield V and Battlefront 2, which took years of updates to finally feel great. Following recent server outages and an embarrassing lack of double XP events, EA and DICE could do well to making sure the follow-up to Battlefield V counts.
