Battlefield 1: Are DICE Doing the Right Thing?

Now that we have more information on the new releases for the Battlefield and Call of Duty (COD) series, it seems to me that only one of those games is really going in the right direction – actually making something new and interesting. COD and Battlefield both stand accused of making the same game over and over again. Whilst the old maxim of ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ still applies, as it does to FIFA et al, it is high time that these two world famous FPS’ should really go somewhere different.

In previous iterations, we have had Battlefield: Hardline and COD: Black Ops, which did at least swerve from the genre of the modern/futuristic cinematic FPS. However, with both COD: Infinite Warfare and Battlefield 1 being announced at relatively the same time, many gamers will be voting with both their feet and their wallets come autumn.

COD has a lot of fans, Activision have consistently brought out exciting games which gave the player a whirlwind of different experiences and new gadgets to play with. But now it seems to be just getting silly. COD in space just seems a bit far-fetched, like the writers couldn’t think of anything else to come up with for a storyline, so they just went with ‘space’ and ‘invasion’ and sort of left it at that.

But the same can be said for Battlefield, up to a point. After the brilliant Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2 along with Battlefield Bad Company (1&2), Battlefield 3 and 4 and Hardline were all very similar. Very short single-player campaigns and an almost complete dedication to multiplayer engagements. But where Battlefield and COD part ways is their up and coming releases.

DICE are trying to do something different. They are embracing a time period which has been largely overlooked by video game developers. It will certainly be a change from the fast-paced, close-quarter battles that we have been used to in previous DICE games. It will allow the gamer to experience warfare of a different kind, experience what was the first fully mechanised global war.

Activision and Infinity Ward could be said to be doing the same thing. Whilst going into a different time set they are trying to “take you back to the roots of the franchise”. COD Infinite Warfare has not had the best of receptions so far. Getting 2 million dislikes is quite an achievement but perhaps the biggest elephant in the room concerning COD is Activision’s continuous rejection of community feedback. There has been an obvious backlash to the newest COD instalment. This could be down to the fact that since the developer has so much money that they can release what they want and they assume that gamers will buy whatever they produce anyway. But if this game does fail then it could be the point in which Activision takes a good, long, hard look at itself and try to start again.

It may surprise some readers to note that COD has been going for 13 years. Its humble beginnings were rooted in WW2, but with the cinematic rollercoaster you seem to be strapped into with every newest instalment of COD, perhaps the real reason for the backlash against Activision’s newest title is that, simply put, the developers have enough money and don’t seem to care about trying something different. By different I mean instead of going further and further forward in time, maybe examine a part of history that is slightly more relatable. World War 2 has been done to death, but it still holds weight. Why not remaster the first ever Call of Duty? Or take a look at the Korean conflict?

DICE are taking a step in a different direction, it may fall flat on its face but at least it tried to put its talents to good use on something uncommon. Activision are seemingly plodding the same path until we reach COD: Infinite Warfare 4: Black Ops 5 – The Invasion of the Sun. So my point it this, they’ve got the money, they’ve got the talent and the fan base, why not listen to your consumers and try something atypical? DICE are doing it so why aren’t you?