The release of Battlefield 6 is a lot closer than it seems, as the game is slated to make its debut during 2021’s holiday season. With a spring reveal confirmed alongside an increased player count, fans have already started to get excited about the next entry in DICE’s flagship series. Though the exact player count has not yet been specified by DICE or EA, leakers have claimed that it will see both teams made up of 64 players. With a 128-player count being twice the size of the one seen in the most recent Battlefield games, this change is a massive one.
It is easy to see why Battlefield 6 fans are excited about the news, as the franchise has prided itself on providing large scale battles since its original debut. More players means more destruction, vehicles, and action in every multiplayer match, and it is hard not to think about the excitement that could come from having so much going on during every game. However, while it is easy to be hyped about the potential that comes from a higher player count, past Battlefield games have proven that bigger is not always better.
While innovation is necessary for long-running franchises like Battlefield, not every new feature introduced over the past several years has worked out. Battlefield 5’s Firestorm mode is a solid example of this, with the attempt to capitalize on the growing popularity of the battle royale genre failing to work in the game’s failure. Not only did the mode flop almost instantly, but it took time and resources away that could have been used on fresh multiplayer content. Ultimately serving as a final nail in the coffin for the fifth Battlefield game, Firestorm was just one of the most recent title’s ambition related slip-ups.
Battlefield 5’s Grand Operations mode was also received poorly by fans, proving that size is not everything. While Battlefield 1’s Operations mode proved exciting, Grand Operations attempted to expand upon it through longer matches. While the concept of chaining multiple modes and maps together to create one lengthy match sounded good on paper, the result was an unfocused and unbalanced mode that saw the defensive team being at a huge disadvantage. Worse, only the final objective truly mattered when determining a winner, making the several minutes of gameplay beforehand feel pointless. While the intentions were good, this increase in size proved to be a negative, with many wishing normal Operations had returned instead.
While these failed modes show that players may want Battlefield to stay as is in terms of size and scale, 128 players could have another negative impact on the game. While DICE having ambitious ideas for Battlefield 6 like this player count, the launch of Battlefield 4 was plagued by issues caused by the studio taking on too much. A cross-generational release with bold ideas like Levelution, the game suffered from an abundance of bugs and crashes on launch. A focus on huge new features as opposed to basic mechanics proved devastating as well, with the game’s poor netcode seeing players dying seconds after they got behind cover. Though patches eventually fixed Battlefield 4, its rough launch ensured it never surpassed Battlefield 3 in the eyes of fans — and it is entirely possible that a sudden jump to 128 players causes stability issues for Battlefield 6 if DICE is not careful.
While there is a possibility that this jump to an even more massive scale is disliked by fans or causes technical issues, it could also prove tough when it comes to map design. A player count of 128 will require bigger maps, as the current Battlefield map size would not be able to properly contain that amount of action. Locations would feel cramped and overly hectic, while balancing issues could be caused for the game’s vehicles. 128 players on a small map could see tanks and helicopters blown away instantly, with more rockets and C4 on the field than ever before. With vehicular play being a huge draw for the series, ensuring that it remains fun would be hard to do with 128 players and the current map size.
At the same time, maps being too large would be a major issue, as one of the biggest criticisms of Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 5 is their overly large map design. Many locations feel like they have no sense of flow, with huge fields full of empty space and a lack of interesting areas inside some of the maps. Though these play spaces were bigger than the ones seen in Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, they also lacked variety and memorable locations to fight through. With the maps in recent Battlefield games lacking a sense of direction, simply increasing the size will not work.
This puts DICE in the tough position of needing to make maps that are larger but also intricate and well thought out. While Battlefield 6’s fully destructible cities sound promising, DICE needs to ensure that they are the perfect size for a player count of 128. With the studio never needing to work with such a player count before, it will be interesting to see if it is able to pull off such a feat. It has been a long time since Battlefield players have seen a map that is on the level of Operation Metro or Damavand Peak, though, and it would be great to see Battlefield 6 deliver in this area.
Make no mistake, 128 players can be a good thing for the Battlefield brand. A sizable boost to the player count feels like a natural evolution of the franchise, and if DICE can succeed in delivering satisfying maps and stable gameplay despite this increase, the larger teams could be a major strength of the sequel. However, while Battlefield 6 having more players can absolutely be a solid foundation to build upon, it should not be the only noteworthy change that the next game makes to the series’ formula.
Battlefield 6 has the potential to change things up in a big way, and player count should only be the beginning. Listening to fan feedback would be a great way to start, as popular modes like Rush deserve some extra love and attention. Likewise, more customization for characters, vehicles, and weapons would be great to see. The return of Battlelog would be a major plus, allowing players to take deep dives into their performances following the large-scale matches. New classes can be added, functioning as a major adjustment to the series’ formula, while something new can be done instead of a battle royale. Lastly, DICE can continue adding complex and entertaining easter eggs as well, with more possibilities for secrets than ever before coming from the 128-player count.
With Battlefield 6 rumored to have a World War 3 setting that could make for memorable maps based on landmark locations from around the world, things are looking up for the sequel. The supposed Battlefield 3 inspirations are also a great sign, and while the player count joins these rumors as something to be excited for, it alone is not enough to make Battlefield 6 great. Battlefield is much more than just a large number of players, after all, and that needs to be kept in mind with this year’s release.
Battlefield 6 is currently in development, expected to release this year for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
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