EA has confirmed that Battlefield 6 won't be restricted to PS5 and Xbox Series X, getting a cross-platform launch on PS4 and Xbox One. The news will come as a blow to fans who had expectations of a true next-gen experience for the franchise's return this year.
EA CEO Andrew Wilson confirmed the multi-platform release during an earnings call this week, saying the game will be available "for both current-gen and next-gen as will our sports titles."
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After rumors that Battlefield 6 might be exclusive to the new consoles, the revelation casts doubts on just what kind of next-gen improvements the game will actually have.
Andrew Wilson, CEO of @EA announced that the next @Battlefield will be revealed in June as a true next-generation game:He said to expect:- Epic scale- All-out warfare- Game changing destruction pic.twitter.com/aFfx6AeZXRMay 11, 2021
Wilson's bombshell has sparked a dialogue on Twitter, with some fans feeling disappointed in the wake of previous comments, like the above tweet from Geoff Keighley which frames Battlefield 6 as a "true next-generation game."
https://t.co/9gf9vk9amv pic.twitter.com/7K0rdF0FZZMay 11, 2021
A ResetEra thread sharing the news has gamers lamenting the cross platform announcement, while games journalist and former Kinda Funny co-host, Imran Khan, juxtaposed Keighley's tweet against the update, highlighting the snippet that calls Battlefield 6 "a true next generation game."
The statement is likely true and this is the return of the downgraded current-gen versions with things like smaller player caps, echoing things like the disparity between Bad Company 2 on console and PC.May 11, 2021
Why did they call it “next gen”May 11, 2021
Addressing past remarks about the new game being made for this new console generation, Wilson said: "The reference specifically from our prepared remarks was around the nature of gameplay – what we can do with the fidelity of the game, what we can do with the physics, artificial intelligence, and the immersive nature of the game.
"And in the case of Battlefield, what we can do with respect to the amount of players that we can have in the game, and the nature of destruction and those all-new Battlefield moments that are truly next-gen opportunities that we are able to do in the context of our next-gen franchises because of the increased processing power and memory and output of the new consoles."
It sounds like there may still be some differences between the two versions, so it's not all bad news. Blake Jorgensen, EA's CFO, chimed in to say that Battlefield 6 will be "great" on all platforms, but “even more spectacular” on the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
In terms of whether we'll see Battlefield 6 roll out another battle royale mode like Battlefield 5's Firestorm, Wilson remained tight-lipped, saying "Nothing to announce at the moment on either an annualised release of Battlefield and/or the nature of the modes in the upcoming game."
But he did promise that more details will be forthcoming after the first Battlefield 6 trailer reveal in June, adding "it is incredible what the team has been able to do in the context of next generation consoles, you know epic scale battles, unbelievable player count, destruction is really incredible, and there’s some very innovative and creative modes for the future of the franchise."
