When discussing Battlefield 1's forthcoming release, one of the game's developers reveals the desire to avoid issues like those from the rocky launch of Battlefield 4.
As many Battlefield 1 fans are probably aware, the launch for its precursor in Battlefield 4 was so bad that even EA's CEO called it “unacceptable.” Now, following the reveal of its forthcoming World War I-inspired military-shooter, DICE has made it clear that it is aware of the problems surrounding the rocky release of the fourth installment in the franchise, with developers remaining hopeful that such mistakes can be avoided with Battlefield 1's launch.
During an interview with the outlet GamesBeat, Battlefield 1's lead designer Daniel Berlin was asked what the game's creators are doing to make sure that a launch akin to Battlefield 4's won't happen again, which led to the developer using Star Wars Battlefront's relatively slick release as an example that the studio is improving. Furthermore, Battlefield 1's lead designer also stated that he expects the majority of the issues that the game has prior to its availability to be dealt with once the game's open beta is live.
With Battlefield 4 having been a launch title for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, there was no open beta speak of for the game, which definitely was one of the problems on top of the fact that DICE was working with hardware that was completely new to it at the time. Regarding the emphasis on ensuring a smooth launch for Battlefield 1, though, Berlin said:
"It's a focus for us. We know [Battlefield 4] was a difficult launch. We've been working on this for a long time. We released Battlefront, which did really well. We're pushing an open beta to ensure stability. We've taken a lot of learnings from that experience, and we feel like we succeeded with Battlefront. We'll take everything we learned there and apply it to Battlefield 1 as well."
Although it was just recently revealed by way of an official trailer that Battlefield 1 has a release date of October 21, there's currently no word as to when the game's beta will actually take place to assist DICE in rectifying any potential issues with the title. Even so, that hasn't stopped developers from moving ahead with the manufacturing of pricey special versions such as the Exclusive Collector's Edition, which costs $220.
At any rate, with the existence of Battlefield 1 only being public knowledge since about a day ago, fans can at least rest easy right now, as DICE has plenty of time to work out any kinks should they arise before the game's release this fall. Plus, with the lessons learned from Battlefield 4's failed launch, it's safe to presume the developer will apply that experience to the production of its forthcoming World War I shooter in order to avoid a similar catastrophe.
Battlefield 1 is set to release on October 21, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.