In some ways, Battlefield 4 ended up setting the next bar for the sequence than anybody might have anticipated. This was the pre-GAAS period, however DICE unknowingly created a blueprint for a way effectively you possibly can preserve participant curiosity over the lengthy haul.
On the sport’s 10-year anniversary, it’s onerous to look again and never examine it to modern-day Battlefield video games. Their state at launch, content material at launch, and, crucially, how a lot help they continued to get pleasure from months after launch.
Let’s begin with some info. Battlefield 4 was the second sport to undertake the Premium season move mannequin launched with BF3. And identical to that sport, DICE bought a $50 move that promised 5 expansions. Whereas particulars on the content material of every had been hardly ever shared when the move went on sale, the usual set by its predecessor meant which you can anticipate a number of maps, new modes, autos, and some new weapons with every DLC. You would additionally safely depend on a sure cadence of launch, which looks as if a rarity nowadays.
Lower than two months after Battlefield 4’s launch, China Rising – the primary growth, arrived. It introduced 4 new maps themed round mainland China, and the standard assortment of weapons and autos. Second Assault adopted in February, 2014 – although it did have a a lot earlier November launch on Xbox One to coincide with the launch of the brand new console.
Xbox gamers acquired two massive expansions in fast succession, whereas everybody else nonetheless acquired new content material about once they anticipated it. Second Assault was made up totally of 4 map remakes, and a bunch of recent weapons.
DICE has at all times leaned onerous into anchoring every Battlefield growth round a single theme, which contextualised each bit of recent content material, and made it simpler to get enthusiastic about extra than simply limitless, meaningless new content material.
Naval Strike got here out in March, and it was designed to actually leverage Battlefield 4’s wonderful naval fight. All 4 maps had been set within the South China Sea, and had been nearly totally islands, peninsulas and archipelagos. The large new mode was Provider Assault, which, whereas promising to be the return of BF2142’s basic Titan mode, ended up falling fairly quick. Nonetheless, it was one thing new that delivered on the promise of mounting an air and naval assault on an plane provider, a fantasy no different Battlefield sport supplied (save for 1942).
July was Dragon’s Enamel’s flip, and whereas that was a return to the China mainland theme, the main focus of the DLC’s 4 new maps was on close-quarters fight, significantly with verticality and street-to-street skirmishes. The brand new mode, Chain Hyperlink, was likewise designed to benefit from that reality.
The ultimate piece to spherical out Premium was the aptly named Closing Stand. That growth introduced again a deal with large-scale fight, and an emphasis on snow environments. It additionally served as one other cheeky callback to BF2142, with extra futuristic weaponry, and map parts that set the scene for the struggle of BF2142. Closing Stand wrapped up the BF4 paid content material slate in November, 2014.
Everybody assumed that may be the tip of it; nonetheless a wholesome dose of recent content material. However DICE returned in March, 2015 to announce that it was engaged on extra new content material for the sport, which might come to all gamers. Without cost. Needless to say whereas BF4 had its type of microtransactions (loot packing containers with cosmetics and level-up shortcuts), it didn’t have a battle move, or actually any type of recurring, FOMO-driven manner to compel gamers to return every week/month.
This was later referred to as the Weapons Crate DLC, and it arrived shortly after on take a look at servers (which was once a factor), earlier than it made it out to all gamers in Might alongside a significant patch. Because the title would possibly counsel, the replace was meant to introduce new weapons, so 5 of them had been added. That was additionally the replace that added Gun Grasp to BF4, successfully a model of the basic Gun Recreation mode.
However, wouldn’t you already know it, this was not, actually, the final little bit of content material within the works for Battlefield 4 – not even shut. Night time Operations got here out in the summertime, and although it was initially set to ship three nighttime variations of present maps, solely one in every of them made it out of the Group Check Setting, that being Zavod: Graveyard Shift.
Everybody’s sights rapidly turned to Group Operations, which launched Operation Outbreak to BF4 in October, a return to the jungle fight of China Rising, with a deal with floor mixed arms motion. The final piece of free content material for Battlefield 4 was December’s Legacy Operations, which launched a remake of BF2’s Dragon Valley, alongside yet one more main patch.
All in all, that’s three free maps, a number of new weapons, new modes, up to date mechanics, main stability passes – all effectively after DICE was obligated to ship any new content material. By the tip of it, Battlefield 4 had an unmatched bundle of content material past what shipped on day one.
This was the final time DICE would do something of the type.
We’ll skip Battlefield Hardline as a result of it wasn’t developed by DICE, and isn’t a mainline sport anyway. DICE’s subsequent massive sport was Battlefield 1, whose Premium move price the identical $50, however promised one fewer growth. The variety of new maps ended up being comparable, nevertheless, as some expansions had greater than others. However, it was seen as a deterioration of the worth of Premium.
Sadly, we didn’t know the way good we had it. Battlefield 5 was the primary sport to do away with the season move mannequin, providing all post-launch content material for everybody – which instantly signalled that you just shouldn’t anticipate as a lot of it after launch anymore. BF5 had its personal battle move system, and a chapter strategy to common content material releases.
Overture was the primary, introducing one new map. Then Lightning Strikes, with no new maps. Trial by Hearth but once more added a single map. Defying the Odds was the primary to drop 4 maps, although their releases had been staggered. Struggle within the Pacific was nearly a throwback to how expansions used to observe sure themes and introduce new factions/areas. In that case, in fact, that was The Japanese Empire and three Pacific-based maps. Lastly, BF5’s final hurrah got here with Into the Jungle, with one new map to its title.
Issues acquired loads worse with Battlefield 2042, as that sport’s post-launch content material pales compared to even BF5. BF2042 acquired solely six new maps throughout six seasons, with every season additionally transforming a number of of the sport’s launch maps. The lately launched sixth season was already greater than gamers anticipated, and it’s probably going to be the sport’s final.
So that is the place we’re, 10 years on from Battlefield 4. Some issues haven’t modified a lot: Battlefield video games proceed to be damaged (to various levels) at launch, DICE vows to repair them, and so they find yourself at a a lot better place when all is alleged and executed.
However the quantity of content material you possibly can anticipate right now, particularly contemplating how far more monetised trendy Battlefield video games are, is so staggeringly decrease than in 2013. Each the annual season move and the quarterly battle passes are parts of their respective occasions. Everybody hated how locking new content material behind a paywall cut up the group, and left homeowners with a smaller participant pool, and non-owners with no new content material.
That will effectively have been true, however you can’t deny simply how a lot new content material Premium promised – and delivered – for each sport it was a part of. Keep in mind, that was a one-time $50 buy that granted you entry to all of that further content material. In the present day, a single BF2042 battle move prices $10, and everybody solely will get a single new map.
It’s clear DICE’s greatest days are behind it, however It’s additionally embarrassing to see EA proceed to run Battlefield dwell companies so terribly. If something, the writer not treats the “service” a part of GAAS as one thing that provides worth to gamers. It has gotten fairly comfy placing out a damaged sport, and utilizing the dwell service to complete it. Anticipating a pat on the again for “lastly making X good.”
Every part outdated is new once more, so I wouldn’t rule out a return of season passes. The idea of the battle move is already operating out of steam, and publishers operating GAAS might want to determine a substitute ultimately. I simply hope that, no matter it’s, it may possibly no less than ship as a lot content material as we used to anticipate, a mere 10 years in the past.