DICE Outlines What’s To Come In 2019 For Battlefield V

DICE recently detailed what the rest of the year looks like for Battlefield V. You can see the full list of planned expansions and events here. Here some highlights of what’s to come.

Chapter 3: Trial By Fire

• March 25 - Firestorm
• April – Combined Arms (new missions)
• May – Mercury (new map)
• June – Outpost (new mode)

Chapter 4: Defying the Odds (starts in June)

• Up Close and Personal (new maps and modes)
• Marita (new map)
• Urban Combat (new map)

Chapter 5 (begins in Fall)

Battlefield V's Battle Royale Mode, Firestorm, Has A Release Date

Battlefield V's battle royale mode, Firestorm will soon be available to play. Firestorm features 64-player that places heavy emphasis on vehicles that give players advantages on land, sea, and in air. The series' trademark destructible environments are also present, allowing players to knock down houses and drive through walls. Firestorm offers just one map, which is 10 times larger than Battlefield V's Hamada. As the name Firestorm implies, the world is on fire, and that blaze creates a constricting circle that brings opponents closer together. When you set foot in this world, you'll need to scour the terrain for weapons and gear. Firestorm arrives on March 25 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. 

Red Dead Redemption II Tops The NPD Charts For November 2018

Here are the best-selling games of November 2018 in the U.S. These charts are sorted by dollar sales, not number of units sold. 

1. Red Dead Redemption II
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4**
3. Battlefield V**
4. Fallout 76*
5. Pokemon: Lets Go Pikachu*
6. Pokemon: Lets Go Eevee*
7. NBA 2K19
8. Madden NFL 19^
9. Spyro Reignited Trilogy
10. FIFA 19**
11. Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
12. Super Mario Party*
13. Marvel’s Spider-Man
14. Mario Kart 8*
15. WWE 2K19
16. God of War 2018
17. Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
18. Just Dance 2019
19. Grand Theft Auto V
20. Forza Horizon 4

*Does not include digital sales
**Does not include PC digital sales

Battlefield V Beta Starts September 4 For EA Subscribers, September 6 For Everyone Else

EA has announced the open beta for Battlefield V starts September 4 for those who pre-ordered and EA Access, Origin Access, and Origin Access Premier subscribers. The open beta will start on September 6 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The beta features two maps, the Arctic Fjord and Rotterdam. Conquest is playable on both maps, and Arctic Fjord also features the same a limited taste of the new Grand Operations mode that we experienced in the alpha. You can pre-load the beta on September 3. Battlefield V deluxe edition players can join play the game early on October 16, and the standard edition launches on October 19 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Battlefield V Will Have It’s Own Spin On The Battle Royale Mode + More

During EA's Play press conference, DICE announced Battlefield V will feature its own take on the battle royale genre.

DICE didn’t share any other details about Battlefield V’s battle royale mode, other than to say that it will feature the same focus on team-play, destruction, and vehicles that the series is known for, and that it will share more later this year. The mode was added because developers at DICE have been fans of PUBG and Fortnite. In an interview with Gamespot, DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson explained his reasoning.

"I would be lying [if I said] there weren't people in the studio that would play [battle royale games] a lot," Gustavsson said with a laugh. "We enjoy it. It's good fun, and it brings a new perspective."

Gustavsson explained that the new mode wasn't added via corporate mandate or executive meddling and was because they thought battle royale was fun.  DICE also once again reiterated that Battlefield V will feature absolutely no lootboxes or premium passes, and that “everyday will bring something new” to the game. Battlefield V releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 19.

Player Choice And Female Playable Characters Are Here To Stay In Battlefield V

According to developer DICE, the studio is prioritizing player choice, inclusion, and diversity for Battlefield V. DICE General Manager Oskar Gabrielson shared his thoughts on the reactions to the game's recent reveal on Twitter, saying "player choice and female playable characters are here to stay."

After the reveal of Battlefield V, a vocal minority spoke out in protest of the game's cover art, which features a woman soldier. Some said the game's depiction of women WWII soldiers was "unrealistic," even though the inclusion of women fighting in WWII is incredibly accurate with just a little bit of research.

"We want Battlefield V to represent all those who were a part of the greatest drama in human history," Gabrielson said, "and give players choice to choose and customize the characters they play with."

Gabrielson went on to say the studio has made a commitment "to do everything we can to create games that are inclusive and diverse," aiming also to "push boundaries and deliver unexpected experiences. But above all, our games must be fun!"

Battlefield V is coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 19.

Battlefield V Take’s Us Back To WWII On October 19 [Delayed]

EA and DICE have revealed Battlefield V to the world. During the real event we learned that the game is returning to World War II. One of the the biggest unifying theme in Battlefield V is the move away from abstraction. You no longer just move into an area and get automatically healed by a magical aura. Reviving allies is also an involved, animated, and much more personal process so that both the healer and the wounded can appreciate the intimacy of their situation. 

Battlefield V introduces two major new game modes.

One is called Grand Operations, which will be an epic, historically inspired, multimatch, multiplayer mode. The first mission sees the player landing as a paratrooper behind enemy lines, tasked with taking out anti-aircraft artillery points. The second day in Rotterdam is when the main invasion force has landed, and you’re trying to reclaim more sectors of the city from the occupying force. Day three moves things deeper, into the devastated, bombed-out parts of the city, and that’s where you can claim a decisive victory. Day four in Grand Operations is called the Final Stand, and it fully embraces the scarcity idea. You get one life, one primary weapon with limited ammo, and you basically fight to the death. By this point, each player will have invested more than an hour into the contest, so the sense of a high-stakes battle for glory will be proportionately amped up. Tides of War is the other new mode. This is Battlefield V’s continuous online campaign mode, which revolves around assembling your own roster of soldiers, each of them customizable to a ridiculous degree of personalization (weapons, attire, perks, abilities, and more). Both the narrative and gameplay evolve as you keep participating in more missions, and you’re incentivized to do so in order to obtain loot and rewards to pretty up your soldiers some more. Tides of War will also offer free maps updates as EA is moving away from the season pass model. The deluxe edition of the game goes on sale on October 16th for Xbox One One, PlayStation 4, and PC, while the standard edition will be available on the same platforms on October 19th.

UPDATE - Electronic Arts is delaying Battlefield V from October 19 to November 20. In a blog post, general manager of developer EA DICE, Oskar Gabrielson, says that the delay is being made due to feedback that the team has gathered so far from closed alpha sessions and from conventions like the recent Gamescom show. Gabrielson adds "adjusting the gameplay tempo, improving soldier visibility, and reducing player friction”.

Battlefield V Teaser Reveals Possible WWII Setting

Ahead of the reveal on May 23, EA and Dice have dropped a “teaser trailer” that possibly indicates the setting for the upcoming Battlefield V.  The video seems to be in game based on the indicators on-screen but it shows some rather interesting imagery for the series that usually plays things safe. A man standing over you and "shushing" doesn’t really just us a lot to work with. However, the apparel of the character points to another game set in the past, but it is the symbols representing the Nazis and Great Britain in the upper right that give away the probable WWII setting.

Shhh... not long now.
Tune in for the #Battlefield V reveal on May 23: https://t.co/kpTnOyxuxr pic.twitter.com/zzIwGi0Y1w

— V (@Battlefield) May 21, 2018

Trevor Noah To Unveil Battlefield V Next Week

The Daily Show host Trevor Noah will host an event where we’ll get are first look at the next Battlefield game on May 23. We already knew publisher EA would release a new game in the military first-person shooter series this year, this will be our first glimpse of the game.

We also have a few hints as to what it is we'll see on May 23. For one, the game will reportedly be called "Battlefield V" and take place during World War II. The title is heavily hinted it at in Noah's tweet about the reveal and the video attached in his tweet.

#ad The rumors are true (rumors that I started, but still...) I will be hosting the @Battlefield Live Reveal on Wed, May 23rd. Catch it streaming live on the #Battlefield YouTube. V EXCITING! pic.twitter.com/7B3fpTpQ6x

— Trevor Noah (@Trevornoah) May 16, 2018

Dice Reportedly Working On A Prototype Battle Royale Mode For Battlefield V

According to an anonymous source from VentureBeat, the Battlefield V might be getting a battle royale mode. The mode would feature mechanics similar to Fortnite and PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds, where 100 players battle each other until there's only one player or team left standing. The studio is allegedly looking into how it could make such a mode work with Battlefield V's mechanics. The report also states that even if DICE is satisfied with what it has, the mode won't be ready in time for Battlefield V's launch this fall. EA could decide to release it as a free update, hold it off and include it in another project instead like a new Star Wars Battlefront or just make an entirely new game with it. Thoughts ?

The Next Battlefield Will Return To World War 2

EA is planning on taking the Battlefield series, which had its most recent entry set in World War 1, to World War 2. This will be the first time since 2009 that Battlefield has had a game take place during World War 2, according to GamesBeat. 

The publication has a good track record on rumors, and considering how much success EA and DICE had with Battlefield's return to historical settings, it makes a lot of sense for the series to return to World War 2. According to these sources, this new Battlefield is set release before the end of 2018.

Late-breaking update: after the story went live, I was able to confirm that this image is real. The name was changed internally from Battlefield 2 to Battlefield V. It is still set during WWII, and is coming this year. https://t.co/sT0D9RSkV2 pic.twitter.com/H8zkJ8QS8m

— Jeffrey Grubb (@JeffGrubb) March 1, 2018