Known for its large-scale warfare, destruction, and mixture of vehicle and infantry combat, EA’s most prominent first-person shooter franchise is set to continue this year with Battlefield 6. While all that is confirmed about the game thus far is its expected Holiday 2021 release date, plenty of players have already embarked on the hype train for the sequel.
From a World War 3 setting to battle royale-sized maps, Battlefield 6 is shaping up to be an exciting return to form for fans of the modern titles. With Battlefield 5 being particularly divisive, the franchise’s return to the 2000s could win a lot of old school players back, kicking off a new era of success for the series. With higher player counts and improved destruction also possible, it is hard to blame gamers for their excitement regarding a potential return to form for the Battlefield series.
Battlefield 6’s Modern Day Setting
Back in June of last year, murmurs of a modern day setting for Battlefield 6 began. Reputable leaker Tom Henderson told one fan that the latest game in the series will be set in today’s era of warfare, with industry insider Jeff Grubb backing up the claims. Since then, there have been no shortage of leaks for Battlefield 6’s modern day setting, with recent claims about the game’s time period being even more specific.
Not only will Battlefield 6 possibly be making use of today’s weapons and vehicles, but the title could be raising the stakes via a World War 3 setting. Supposedly featuring a conflict between NATO and Russia, the game will bring back the War Stories campaign setup to give players a diverse set of short stories as opposed to a single, lengthy narrative. From an M16 agent infiltrating Europe to the US army fighting Russian forces in American suburbs, the mission concepts certainly sound interesting. With the person behind this leak lacking the track record of Tom Henderson, however, players should take the World War 3 rumor with a grain of salt — only banking on a modern-day focus of some kind.
Reveal Date And “Crazy Ambitious Ideas”
In a post later last year that doubled down on how the new Battlefield title will be the game that fans have wanted for years, Tom Henderson theorized a potential Battlefield 6 reveal date. Telling fans to anticipate a reveal some time in “Spring,” players should only have a few months of waiting to go before the game is seen. With this date giving EA and DICE plenty of time to promote the game and hold a beta period before Battlefield 6’s release, the theory certainly makes sense.
The other big theory going around regarding Battlefield 6 is that it will offer even larger multiplayer battles for players to take part in. With the game supposedly having some “crazy ambitious ideas,” players have been quick to theorize that this wording is indicative of a larger player experience. While the next Battlefield title is unlikely to reach the absurd 256 player count of the much-forgotten FPS MAG, it is not unreasonable to think that fans can see a doubling of Conquest’s current 64 player count. However, having so many users in one lobby would require even bigger maps, which ties directly into the other common rumor for Battlefield 6.
Another Battle Royale Attempt
Battlefield 6’s locations are rumored to be similar to battle royale maps in terms of their size and scale. Not only does this make a higher player count seem likely, but it also opens up the possibility for DICE to attempt making another battle royale mode. An improvement over the lackluster Firestorm, the mode could boast a player count that is expected from traditional battle royale titles. Beyond that, the large multiplayer maps have the potential to give Battlefield 6’s battle royale an advantage over others in the genre.
Early fan speculation for Firestorm included the idea that all Battlefield 5 maps would be repurposed into small battle royale maps. While this never happened with Firestorm, such a concept could be properly realized in Battlefield 6’s battle royale mode. With the maps supposedly being even larger than normal, DICE’s next battle royale offering can outdo other titles in terms of content variety. While some battle royale titles introduce a new map after ever other several months, others stick with one map for their entire duration. However, Battlefield 6’s take on the mode can offer several maps on day one, repurposing every multiplayer map to give players plenty to do right out the gate. While it is important to avoid falling into the trap of quantity over quality, this possibility is certainly intriguing.
Battlefield 6 in development for unspecified platforms.