November 6, 2014

Metallicat here, with some ideas about the future of the Battlefield series.

The Known Future

First, the biggest big thing is Battlefield 5. An expanded, more spectacular, more destructive, and hopefully more perfected version of Battlefield 4. I doubt that the player count will be increased, but it has been at 64 since BF 1942 and the servers and systems might be able to handle more. But more players mean bigger maps, unless we want the action to be cramped and crowded. A few more years of development should allow for much more responsive game, as well as one with more spectacular visuals.

But that is several years down the road. I can’t guess for sure which other Battlefield game will come out when, but I believe that revisiting the past and future of the game series is a very likely source for additional games.

Going Even Further Into The Future

I mentioned a Battlefield 2142 sequel before, and I think that it is a very strong contender for the next Battlefield game, still running on Frostbite 3. Call Of Duty Advanced Warfare has some really cool vehicle action in the single player, but the multiplayer is still infantry close combat with kill (point) streaks. BF 2142 had all the advanced weapons and vehicles, and a new version could take that to the next level and beyond. More vehicles, weapons, and gear. Especially if they adopt some spec-ops mobility gadgets ala Titanfall, and make more use of the really high tech weapons. A Titan Mode with destruction effects and the ability to move the Titan airborne carrier around without crashing/freezing the game would be amazing, and bring to life the potential of the original game.

The presence of models, vehicles, and weapons from BF2142 in BF4’s Final Stand, all looking nice and working well, makes this one my pick for the next Battlefield game to be released, sometime after Star Wars Battlefront. Set on future earth, not quite as far away in the future, and still a gritty, hard-fought war, it wouldn’t directly compete genre-wise with either Battlefront or BF4.

Blast From The Past

The next pick is the ultimate blast from the past: a new, highly intense version of BF1942. We’re coming up on the seventh decade since the end of WWII. BF1942 has not had a PC sequel since the original, and BF1943 was far smaller in scope (and restricted to the Pacific Theater and consoles). Doing a big blockbuster spectacularly destructive historical war game would fit right in with the current (and continuing) trend of recent movies. The combination of less advanced weaponry, without high tech electronic gadgets, and the ability to fully show the devastating intensity of large scale combat, could yield an addictively challenging game. The nostalgia value is not to be neglected either, as unlike future and fictional wars, the battles simulated actually happened in real life.

The global scale of the war and the battles offers an amazing range of environments and multiple sides (and the associated weaponry) to play with. Desert combat, the winter war, the forests of france, island hopping, jungle battles, the air war, and much more. While I’d call the next installment BF 1944, the time frame could cover all parts of the war, from the early phases to alternative endings. By use of on map armories, pick ups, and vehicle selection, the advances in vehicles and weapons — especially the limited and never deployed end war technologies — could be experienced within the game, without forcing all play to a single short era. The potential for a strong, effective, entertaining single player story line is also excellent.

Exploring The Wild Side

Moving a bit forward, a new Battlefield Vietnam game using the military technology of the 1960s has possibilities. The 2004 game offered a strong historical and cinematic feel, with warfare a bit more advanced that the WWII era but still without the modern era’s electronic gadgets. The inclusion of nostalgic era-based music, with the option to apply it on in-game vehicles and locations as an additional element of customization and immersion, could help make it a brighter, funnier game without losing intensity (the original had a whole collection of music). The game could have settings in other jungle/brush wars of the era, allowing for more sides to be represented, in a standalone game.

Or Going Bad To The Bone

Or, as with  Battlefield: Bad Company 2, it could be handled as an expansion, either of the WWII game, or of a Bad Company sequel. That leads into the next idea, a new Bad Company game. BF:BC3 as a modern warfare game would share much with BF4, but could focus more on the general army forces rather than elite marines. Lighter combat vehicles, more destructive and destructible combat in less built up, rural and industrial environments, and perhaps a renewed focus on the faster rush-style game play, all would give it a unique identity.

In single player as well as multiplayer, the less serious side of warfare could be explored. As a midpoint game between BF4 and BF5, it could exploit improvements in game play and engine, without requiring the totally new and improved features that will be in BF5. Significantly, the vastly increased and exciting destructible environments would be showcased in this game.

Be The Elite

My last idea falls between a remake and a new game concept. Spec Ops/Close Quarters — I’d go with Battlefield: Special Ops myself — would reenvision the BF2:Special Forces expansion coupled with the BF3 Close Quarters DLC map designs. With a focus on elite infantry combat, but with some light vehicles, it would take advantage of the smaller scale combat environment to have much more detailed micro-destructible elements. In addition, the full range of night vision tools, and the mobility gadgets shown in Hardline (zipline and grapple), would allow for night, bad weather, and darkened interiors as well as player-made vertical flanking paths. Unlike BF3’s Close Quarters maps, all maps should have full conquest mode available, but game modes especially designed for close engagements, and actual stealth tactics, would be available as well. Lastly, much competitive FPS combat revolves around small infantry action, and this would give Battlefield an entry tailored to exactly that kind of game play.

The single player also has great potential, as Spec Ops missions allow for intense, story driven combat without the need (or excuse) for large scale set piece battles.

Bad Company 3 and Spec Ops would round out the modern era games, and together would provide players the option of either wide open battles or close quarters action. There have always been fans of one or the other, and this would make it easier for them to pick their favored game type more easily. Of course, true fans would want both. Potentially, they could be DLC/expansions for the base game or each other, but as standalone games could help diversify the series for potential players.

More Battlefield 4 Content

My last thought you might have heard about already. An additional DLC (map pack) for Battlefield 4. Beyond just wishful thinking and rumors, I see good reasons for DICE and EA to go ahead and make it.

First, BF4’s rocky release and slow road to its current state disappointed many gamers, and lost much goodwill for future releases. By making additional (and likely free for Premium players) content, it rewards those who have stuck with the game, and increases the value (and thus potential sales) of BF4/Premium for those who haven’t yet bought the game.

Second, CTE (the Community Test Environment) is continuing and will do so beyond Final Stand, and a new DLC would enhance that support. Plus, a chance to work on new and better map development another time for BF4 could prove beneficial for the later games in the series. Finally, the delay in BF:Hardline’s release leaves a gap to be filled with BF4, and new content always increases interest. In any case, BF4 is going to remain the flagship modern combat Battlefield game for the next few years, so additional material only improves its outlook.
All of these games are things that I would be interested in playing. I can’t predict what other periods or genres might fit into the Battlefield concept well enough to attract DICE (and EA’s) attention. But revisiting past games with new technology is always a good idea when it is done well.