Why Did Battlefield V Failed So Miserably?

[esparz50]

As an avid fan of the Battlefield franchise since Battlefield 3, I enjoy and love this franchise. Ranging from playing Battlefield games like Bad Company 2, Play for Free, Battlefield 4, Hardline, 1 and Battlefield 2 Revival Project to watching many Battlefield videos and content creators on YouTube, I love this fandom. Until the reveal trailer of Battlefield V came out, I realized that the game has major issues. These issues are being historical inaccurate (US history college graduate) to making the game look like Fortnite, thus not making a good first impression. But, this was just the beginning of the downfall of this franchise.

Throughout this Spring to present day, both EA and DICE were mistreating the Battlefield fandom. Ranging from the infamous "uneducated" and "don't like it, don't buy it" phrases that Patrick Soderlund made to DICE messing up the time to kill mechanics, I knew things just got worse for the game. Videos that many YouTubers made about Battlefield V like TheQuartering to Angry Joe, made me not to buy this game at all and trying to convince my friends on Discord and other social medias not to support any EA games at all, especially this game. The beta gameplay that I saw on Twitch was boring and uninterested to watch and I am not convinced to play the beta at all.

This game not only ruined the Battlefield franchise, but also the credibility of DICE and more fuel to hate on EA ever since Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017). EA and DICE are still in the need of desperation to sell their game, that not only insulted the fanbase, but new players who were interested with this game with confusing launch dates to 50% off sale for this game. EA and DICE dug themselves so much that they decided to make fun of the fandom's concerns about the game, in their secret release party back in November 20. EA and DICE should listen to the community and fix the game at beginning of this mess. These series of incidents that EA and DICE started should be used to learn for future game developers and many other fandoms who worried that this can happen to theirs, if the creators of their favorite franchise would do such a thing to the fandom. Please learn from this mistake everyone.

[Noobc0re]

Yeah, we are talking about a studio that straight up said that they don't understand why people liked Bad Company 2.

[Nic]

virtue signalling and their general shitiness

[PriestTroit]

If they wanted to do the whole "untold stories" thing, they should have taken a page from CoD: World at War and done a split campaign. That game had the Pacific theater and the regular ol' familiar stuff (for the most part). Honestly, when it first came out I didn't even know we fought the Japanese and I didn't know anything about Russia being involved.

[Ma Ma G47]

TL;DR: BFV had a rocky PR campaign that influenced it's launch, and along with the bugs and lack of content, the game feels too far from a WWII game and fails to excite to the same standard of BF1.

I find that hype and publicity can go a long way to make or break a game. Setting aside whatever ideology may or may not have permeated Battlefield V's development, the public displays of defensiveness and criticism of the customer base were nearly impossible to ignore when following the game's development. As some of you have already mentioned, the "uneducated" and "Accept it, or don't buy the game" statements made by DICE and EA staff were not only unprofessional, but they were degrading towards the consumer/customer. In most business settings, that can be justification for disciplinary action or termination.

Getting past the PR hurdles, after reading mixed reviews about the game, I decided to pick it up and decide for myself whether or not it was enjoyable. I tried to enjoy the game as objectively as I could, but I found it difficult since there were a lot of bugs and design choices that deviated too far from BF1, a game I thoroughly enjoyed from launch despite its flaws. I was blown away by the scope, variety, and intensity of BF1, especially playing online with friends, but BFV just didn't have that impact. I realize that with the 'games as a service' model it will be some time before BFV is worth the money I paid for it, but with the rocky launch I am uncertain if developer support for the game will endure long enough to deliver a complete package. Development towards the battle royale mode (which I could care less for) is likely occupying much of the effort by DICE, and we aren't anticipating that until March of 2019 or later. With that, I hope the game does improve and the developers don't just decide to cut their losses and return to the safe harbor of modern shooters.

Perhaps the biggest issue I have with the game is that it just doesn't feel like a World War II shooter. The twitchy gunplay is much more akin to the modern and future settings of recent shooters, which doesn't fit the WWII mold I am more familiar with. I applaud the developers for trying to incorporate lesser-known fronts of the War, but on that same note much of what WWII is known for is strangely absent. Operations like Market Garden, Barbarossa, D-Day, the Battle of Britain, the invasion of Italy: none of these are in the game. And don't even get me started on the absence of the entire Pacific theater. I can remember playing the Operations mode on BF1 and my friends discussing a possible new BF WWII game (before BFV was even announced), and that if they just took the mechanics of BF1, refined them, and inserted WWII variables, that would have been a slam dunk of a game. I'm sure it would have been criticized for being a mere reskin of BF1, but at this point even that would have been better (and sold better) than where the game is now, in my opinion.

[Dub-Z]

Battle Royale ate the multiplayer dudebro gaming industry's lunch, industry wide greed and social engineering made everyone hate everything the last few years, they bet the farm on appealing to people who don't even play games and have zero interest in military shooter games to begin with, told the only customers they could have had to not buy the game, and EA closing studios made even the people who would defend them in the industry forums and games media handshake circles resent them.

[PriestTroit]

I didn't buy it because my friends told me the vehicle gameplay was watered down like it was in BF1, but even more so now. Plus, there aren't many weapons to choose from. I liked Bf3 and 4 because it's basically a different game mode when you're in driving a tank or piloting a helicopter (two types!) or piloting a jet airplane or driving an attack boat.... then you've got the main infantry game mode.

Battlefield 5 just doesn't sound cool and it looks less "tacticool," which is something I really like in FPS video games. It's why I like RB6 Siege so much.

[The_Dirk_Diggler]

I recently redownloaded Bad Company 2. Still going strong.

[Matcam89]

Justince - I agree Battlefield 1 still had some life to it, there was no need to rush a release of an unfinished game. However i did play BF1 the other day and it is near impossible to get into a good server - Seems like the game is dead now

fenrif - being one of the few people who have enjoyed Fallout 76 minus the missing People npcs - this game doesnt feel much different than previous entries.

[fenrif]

Most of the youtubers who crap all over fallout 76 have ignored the self same problems being an issue in Bethesda games since Oblivion though. It's not that youtubers are finally giving people an alternative voice. It's that youtubers are finally pointing out the flaws. At least as a group.

[Justince]

A combination of politics and gamer fatigue. Battlefield 1 is just a few years old, my head is still spinning that they bothered to release this new one at all. Coupled with the company deciding it's fanbase are idiots, you've got a recipe for a failure. Appeasing the investors and having a new box on the shelf every year is a commitment gamers aren't buying anymore.

I also thank the rise of the Youtube commentators giving people an alternative voice they can rely on after the loss of faith in gaming journalism.

[fenrif]

can't say, all I know is it not being like the last game doesn't make it bad, thats still just an opinion

Right, so your opinion is that the gameplay is objectively better than the older games because of reasons you can't explain because you don't know what the gameplay is or how it's different.

Whereas I'm saying as someone who has played all the games in the series including the one we are talking about in this thread. Is that the gameplay is worse than the ones that came before. I am not saying it's bad because it's different from the previous game in the series. I'm saying that compared to the previous games in the series the gameplay design is objectively worse. Again: something I am saying after playing all the games in the series including Battlefield V.

Sometimes I feel the pressure on AAA devs these days are way to high. I'm talking about the actual people working on the game here. (overtime for shit pay) How the f do you invent something new on such a short term basis? The goal is to pump out a AAA game asap. In the end the consumer is going to notice being fed the same thing over and over again, only in a new package. FIFA/NHL/Madden anyone?

(Quote system is being a pain, hopefully that still works)

You don't goto work at maccies and complain you can't make five star cuisine. Everyone and their mum knows what it's like to work for a company like EA these days. I have very very little sympathy for people who put themselves in that situation and then shit all over their customers. Or allow their colleagues to do the same.

[Lars]

Sometimes I feel the pressure on AAA devs these days are way to high. I'm talking about the actual people working on the game here. (overtime for shit pay) How the f do you invent something new on such a short term basis? The goal is to pump out a AAA game asap. In the end the consumer is going to notice being fed the same thing over and over again, only in a new package. FIFA/NHL/Madden anyone?

[Brenker]

Graphics and audio don't make a good game. They have improved the graphical fidelity but the art direction has done a nosedive. They didn't improve anything gameplay wise, they devolved the gameplay design. Devolved to the point that it's worse than the first game in the series.

What specifically do you think they have objectively improved in terms of gameplay?

can't say, all I know is it not being like the last game doesn't make it bad, thats still just an opinion

[fenrif]

They improved the graphics, improved the audio, improved everything gameplay wise and you're telling me it isn't objectively(factually) better than those games? What have you been smoking man! Look, I don't like BFV at all, I think its terrible but thats subjective, I'm personally disliking it, it has nothing to do with what it really is.

Graphics and audio don't make a good game. They have improved the graphical fidelity but the art direction has done a nosedive. They didn't improve anything gameplay wise, they devolved the gameplay design. Devolved to the point that it's worse than the first game in the series.

What specifically do you think they have objectively improved in terms of gameplay?