EA recently held their massive multiplayer gameplay reveal for Battlefield 6, which followed the equally exciting first trailer for the game’s campaign mode too. It feels like each new look we get at the upcoming Battlefield gets us more excited than the last, and now we’ve seen the game running in the hands of content creators, it feels like a lot of that hype has been earned.
We’ve scanned over hours of Battlefield 6 footage to bring you this curated list of five things that we’re most hyped about in Battlefield 6, and think maybe you should be too! In the spirit of fairness and trying to tame our expectations though, we’ve also got two concerns that we think are best to keep in mind as we get closer to the October 10 launch date.
Hype: returning to the present day
Let’s start with the most obvious thing that even the most casual of Battlefield fans likely noticed by now. Battlefield 6 is a return to a traditional, modern setting for the franchise. It took a detour into the World War eras with Battlefield 1 and its follow-up Battlefield 5 (ridiculous names in hindsight), and then went the opposite direction with its futuristic Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 6 takes us back to where we left off in Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 4, which were both set relatively close to the times the games were released. Each took place a few years in the future of when they launched, but nowhere near as far as 2042 took it. It feels great to return to something more grounded after years of historic or futuristic settings. Taking place in the modern day brings down the elements of fantasy that come from playing out of time, and puts additional emphasis on the stakes of each fight. It’s real, it’s now (kinda), and everything’s on the line.
Hype: modes and matchmaking
The multiplayer content is always going to be one of the most anticipated parts of any shooter game, and Battlefield 6 has us excited there too. From the returning and revamped classic large-scale Conquest mode to the more traditional close-quarters Team Deathmatch or King of the Hill, this Battlefield is no different than the others. However, the new Escalation mode seems like a fun and refreshing idea that will keep us coming back for more. As the map contracts and teams fight to control smaller and smaller zones, clashes will become more common, more frequent and the stakes will get even higher as time goes on.
Whilst we’re playing online, it looks like Battlefield 6 is going to try to give us the best experience possible when it comes to playing with others. Call of Duty has come under a lot of fire for its implementation of Skill Based Matchmaking (SBMM), because players who start doing well in games will always eventually be pushed into extremely difficult matches that feel impossible to win, reducing your chance to enjoy the fun of getting kill streaks. It also results in some uneven matches where connection quality (ping) is secondary to matching skilled players, giving us laggy games that we’re not going to win anyway. Battlefield 6 however will focus more on ping, location and server availability when matchmaking, then only slightly take skill factor into account to create fairer matches with less chances of being wiped and more chance to excel for everyone. It’s a win-win!
Hype: mobility gets an overhaul
The gunplay looks great in Battlefield 6, but what also has us excited is the updates to mobility that we’ve seen from content creator gameplay and the multiplayer reveal event. There are new ways to move everywhere in almost every situation, and it makes the whole game look even more exciting. Players can grab onto the backs or sides or vehicles to ride them into battle, leap off them from a height and land with a combat roll to reduce fall damage, sprint whilst crouched and then peek around corners whilst aiming to catch your opponents off-guard.
The movement revamps even impact your ability to engage with your own teammates, as you can now drag your fellow players to safety across the field when unconscious and revive them back to life somewhere safe. It looks to be incredibly heroic and immersive, being able to drag your friends out of the fight, fix them up for a second chance and then storm off for revenge together. We can’t wait to try this mechanic as soon as we can in the Open Beta, and live out our combat medic fantasies.
Hype: realistic in-universe cosmetics
As with any modern shooter game, or pretty much any game in general these days, Battlefield 6 will have cosmetics for weapons and characters. However, EA have pledged to do something very different in their approach to Battlefield 6 cosmetics from purchases, unlocks or Battle Passes – they’re going to keep them realistic.
According to a new interview from ComicBook with one of the game’s producers, the developers are making cosmetics that “fit the universe”, and avoiding the cartoonish crossovers seen in other games like the Star Wars season of Fortnite or the extremely unnecessary and expensive Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle collaboration in Call of Duty. In their own words, the developers say “what’s really important to us is that things feel grounded […] we want it to feel authentic”. Battlefield is doing something considerably different than other shooters like Call of Duty, meaning no more Nicki Minaj 360 no-scopes in an effort to emphasize realism,
Hype: cross-platform, fan-first approach
We mentioned earlier that there’s an Open Beta coming for Battlefield 6, and that’s another thing that has us excited. The team at Battlefield Studios have been putting every effort into communicating with fans to create the product that we want, and so long as they stick to listening to the feedback, that’s quite a refreshing approach to such large-scale development.
Speaking personally, I found it quite exciting that the Open Beta will be available to all players on every platform at the same time, regardless of console. Even on PC, EA won’t be forcing their app on Steam or Epic Game users, not even just for the Open Beta, with full support being given to other platforms. It’s nice to be able to play it our way, with our friends on every platform without a marketing gimmick holding anybody back.
Concern: Monetization and the ‘Blackcell’ method
It can’t all be sunshine and rainbows – this is a war after all! To try and keep excitement in check, I think it’s important to also address concerns we might have for Battlefield 6. The first of these for me would be how exactly the game is set to get monetized. It’s nice that the game is $70 without jumping to the trendy new $80 price tag, but we still know it’s coming with full optional cosmetic purchases. Those who buy the Phantom Edition of the game will get access to the first seasonal Battle Pass, along with a set of exclusive skins for soldiers, weapons and more. That’s not the concerning bit though.
The Battlefield 6 Phantom Edition also comes with a “Pro Token” for the Battle Pass, which says “exclusive unlocks” on the pre-order poster. We’re a little concerned this means that Battlefield will adopt the Blackcell approach taken by Call of Duty, in which the Battle Pass has a free tier, a paid tier, and then an even more expensive option to spend more money and get more skins. When a game is already $70, a Battle Pass is already a little excessive. Adding an additional, even more expensive tier on top of that is just greedy, regardless of which game is doing it. We need more details as to how this works in Battlefield compared to Call of Duty, and we’ll be sure to detail those further when we know.
Concern: EA, AI and the future
The second and final concern involves a bit of assumption, but it sadly has to be done. As exciting as Battlefield 6 looks, it’s still an EA game, and that still gives us at least some pause. I can’t wait to get into the game, but I’m also slightly concerned for how post-launch support will be handled. Black Ops 6 had a good start, but within a few months it was overrun with excessive monetization, degrading match quality and even AI art.
This is a personal concern, but I really hope EA doesn’t opt to use any generative AI in the creation of the game’s art assets. Using AI as a tool to maybe prompt and encourage creativity or problem solving is fine, but using it to replace the job of a human artist isn’t. This is not some kind of AI paranoia concern either, as EA’s CEO explicitly said “AI is powering out future” just a few months ago. If it’s an internal use of AI for business or technology then it’s not my concern, but I really won’t be happy if I have to see any AI slop content in-game at any point down the line, whether it’s at launch or in an update next year.
That being said, there’s everything that’s got us excited about the upcoming Battlefield 6, along with two things we’re trying to stay cautious about. The Open Beta for Battlefield 6 begins on August 9 globally, and you can pre-load it right now.
What are you hyped for in Battlefield 6, and do you have any concerns? Sound off in the comments down below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more breaking gaming news, including extensive and detailed Battlefield 6 coverage.
