The announcement ofBattlefield 6’s launch in 2021 has many fans' hopes up about the next title in the series.Battlefield 6will be launching on next-gen consoles, but that is about all the information anyone has on the much-awaited followup to one of the most innovative and consistently high-quality shooter franchises on the market. Next generation technology will of course make the game look great and run fantastically, but beyond the objective quality of the game,Battlefield 6will have to be a landmark title to make any impact in the current multiplayer FPS landscape.
Battlefield 6developer DICE is well known for its quality products. Even though itsStar Wars Battlefrontgames garnered high-profile controversy due to truly unfortunate microtransactions implementation by publisher EA, the base experience delivered by the development team was always unique and polished. The thing that DICE gets right in bothBattlefieldandBattlefrontis the cinematic experience: so many moments in these games provide a sense of scale, grandeur, and chaos that is unparalleled in any other FPS.
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Before the popularization ofbattle royale shooters,Battlefieldgames were pioneering massive maps, large-scale tactics, and huge numbers of players clashing in a single game. However, in the time sinceBattlefieldintroduced players to player counts of 64 and up, games likePUBG,Fortnite,Apex Legends, andCall of Duty: Warzonehave far surpassedBattlefield’s numbers and scale.Call of Duty: Modern Warfareeven has Ground War, which is essentially the coreBattlefield-sized-map experience offered alongside all the otherCoDgame modes.
Battlefield 6’s Competition with Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Modern WarfareandWarzoneare shaping up to be the biggest competition toBattlefield 6, even withCoD 2020and more on the horizon, and there is a lot of ground to cover for the nextBattlefieldto compete with what is arguably themost popularCall of Dutygame everin years.Call of Dutygames have long been the industry standard for first person shooters, as any FPS title will inevitably be compared to theCoDgame de jour, and big-budget shooters have to set themselves apart to make an impact. There are a few reasons that competing withModern Warfarewill be extra difficult forBattlefield 6.
Modern WarfareandWarzonewill certainly still be alive and kicking by the time thatBattlefield 6comes out. The developer has stated its commitment to keeping the current reboot around as the primary multiplayerCall of Dutyexperience for a long time yet, and the dev has made good on that commitment so far bycontinuing to release new contentat a pace that even other triple-A developers struggle to keep up with.
To make matters even more dire for the nextBattlefield,Modern Warfarehas a large map, large player count mode available, alongside one of the best battle royale games yet inWarzone.Battlefield’s claim to fame has always been the cinematic large map experience. WhileModern Warfaremay not be able to compete with the level of bombastic, intense scale and action thatBattlefieldbrings to the table, it still has the core ofBattlefield’s schtick as just another game mode in a much bigger package.Battlefield 5did include a battle royale mode, but it was too little, too late. It did not innovate the formula, unlikeCall of Duty: Warzone, which has evolved the battle royale format and taken it in new and exciting directions.
In order to stand up toCall of Duty,Battlefield 6will have to take full advantage ofnext generation hardwarefor graphics and effects, amp up its sense of scale and action, revolutionize its own formula to blow Ground War out of the water, and offer a battle royale mode that applies the signatureBattlefieldflair to the most popular new genre of multiplayer shooter. The sense of scale should not be an issue-Battlefieldhas always excelled at making each individual player feel small in comparison to the planes roaring overhead, the explosions rocking the earth, and the hail of bullets whizzing past during each mad dash and brief, heroic moment. However, two main features will determine how much that matters in the face ofCoD’s overwhelming popularity: an engaging and enduring setting, and innovation in signature game mechanics.
Battlefield 6’s New Setting
The last twoBattlefieldgames have been set in World War I and World War II respectively, and while both of those setting are rife with interesting moments,great locales, and mountains of fun weapons and vehicles, it seems that most FPS players are leaning back towards modern settings. Luckily, many players are also craving a level of realism thatBattlefieldtypically delivers in spades, which meansBattlefield 6will be well positioned to fill that role.
The most likely and most sensiblenext move forBattlefieldis a modern setting. Players are clearly enjoyingModern Warfare’s take on current day weapons and locales, and it would be foolish forBattlefield 6to focus in on yet another historical combat setting, especially since nothing could really top the scale and widespread interest for WWII. Futuristic settings have had their time for bothCall of DutyandBattlefield, and it seems like popular interest has not yet cycled back around to that genre of shooter.
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It might seem like choosing a modern setting would be a detriment toBattlefield 6, putting it in very direct competition withModern Warfare. However, it is inBattlefield’s best interest to be compared toCoDif it has enough features that set it apart and invite players to experience a different take on the setting that they are interested in. By the timeBattlefield 6comes out, players may start losing interest inModern Warfare’s constant content updates, and a shiny new FPS title in the same setting, but built for next-gen consoles and featuring innovative gameplay could attract quite a few customers.
Battlefield 6’s Innovative Mechanics
As mentioned above,Battlefieldexcels in realism, environmental destruction, sound design, and atmosphere. These are the few key features thatBattlefieldgames have always prioritized, and those details have cemented the series as one that pushes the FPS genre forward time after time.Modern Warfareoffers a fine-tuned, engaging, and addictive gameplay loop, butBattlefieldprovides a sense of immersion that is very rare in multiplayer games, let alone fast-paced shooters.
The best way forBattlefield 6to make itself feel truly next generation will be environmental destruction. Environmental destruction in multiplayer games is not totally new, but it has always been a double edged sword. It creates a sense of realism, immersion, and tactical fluidity, but typically suffers frombuginess, inconsistent implementation, and can often be exploited in game-breaking ways. IfBattlefield 6can get anywhere close to perfecting environmental destruction on a large scale, it will instantly set itself apart from the herd. Buildable defenses, crumbling buildings, and artillery craters all worked well inBattlefield V, but taking that design element to the next level is a must.
Scale will have to increase massively as well. Pushing the technological boundaries of player counts and game size, yet still maintaining a fast-paced gameplay loop is one of the specialties of theBattlefieldseries. This time though,Battlefield 6will be contending with the popularity of several battle royale games, all of which haveimpressive scale. At their best,Battlefieldgames make each player feel like just one small part in a massive conflict, barely able to shift the tide of battle on their own.Battlefield 6will have to go above and beyond to convey that feeling bigger, better, and more beautifully than every other shooter out there. It can be done, and based on its potential,Battlefield 6is currently the game most likely to do it.
