Battlefield V

Battlefield V, also known as Battlefield 5, is an upcoming first-person shooter video game developed by EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. Battlefield V is the sixteenth installment in the Battlefield series. It will be released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 20, 2018. The game will continue on from its precursor Battlefield 1 by focusing on World War II.

Gameplay
Battlefield V will focus extensively on party-based features and mechanics, scarcity of resources, and removing "abstractions" from game mechanics to increase realism. There will be an expanded focus on player customization through the new Company system, where players will be able to create multiple characters with various cosmetic and weapon options. Cosmetic items, and currency used to purchase others, will be earned by completing in-game objectives.

The game will feature several new multiplayer modes, including the "continuous" campaign mode "Tides of War", "Firestorm", and "Grand Operations". The Grand Operations mode is an expansion of the "Operations" mode introduced in Battlefield 1, which focuses on matches taking place across multiple stages to simulate a campaign from the war. In Grand Operations, each round will have specific objectives, and performance in each stage will influence the next. Games will culminate with a "Final Stand", with players using only a primary weapon with limited ammo, and no respawns. Similarly to Battlefield 1, the game will feature a collection of single-player "war stories" based on aspects of World War II. The game also features a cooperative mode not seen since Battlefield 3 called "Combined Arms", where four players can undertake missions together and features dynamic missions and objectives so missions cannot be played the same way each time. Combined Arms is scheduled to be released after launch. The Battle Royale mode will be built around the franchise's "core pillars of destruction, team play, and vehicles". The name "Firestorm" is derived from a literal storm of fire that engulfs players similar to the popular Battle Royale game mechanic of restricting the play area. Furthermore, this particular game mode is not being developed by EA DICE themselves, but has been outsourced to Criterion Games and features the biggest map created by the franchise to date. It is playable by 64 players, which are divided into up to 16 squads with a heavier focus on team work.

Development
DICE unveiled the first details surrounding Battlefield V on 23 May 2018, with more information to be unveiled during the EA Play press conference near E3 2018 in June. DICE has stated that, unlike Battlefield 1, it does not plan to use paid downloadable content, or "loot boxes" for non-cosmetic items within Battlefield V; new content will be added to the game for all players over time (which, itself, will progress through the different stages of World War II), at no additional charge. The decision to exclude these features was made following the outrage over the loot box system in Star Wars Battlefront II, another EA DICE title. The game was originally set to release on October 19, but was delayed to November 20 to enable the developers to "make some final adjustments to core gameplay".

Pre-release
The announcement trailer which premiered at E3 was met with a backlash from fans of the series who criticized the game for a lack of historical accuracy and authenticity. Complaints were given to the use of certain weapons, prosthetics, and body art as being very uncommon in that time period. Some fans were also frustrated with the portrayal of women in the game, specifically with the British woman featured in the trailer since British women never participated in frontline combat and were mostly relegated to supporting roles. Although acknowledging that British women were rarely on the frontline, critics have responded that female soldiers did participate in World War II highlighting real-life examples from multiple countries, and that previous games in the Battlefield series are not seen as a completely realistic portrayal of war. Some also suggested that the backlash was partly due to misogyny, rather than genuine worries over historical accuracy.

In response to the outcry, the game's executive producer Aleksander Grøndal wrote on Twitter that the team would "always put fun over authentic." DICE's general manager Oskar Gabrielson also responded on Twitter, saying "Player choice and female playable characters are here to stay ... Our commitment as a studio is to do everything we can to create games that are inclusive and diverse. We always set out to push boundaries and deliver unexpected experiences." EA chief creative officer Patrick Söderlund said the developer was uninterested in taking flak for diversifying the gaming space. "We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game," he said. "I’m fine with either or." Söderlund went on to say that the development team itself pushed for women in Battlefield V. In September, after the game was delayed by a month, DICE revealed they are planning on "dialing back" the character customization to attempt to "give more authenticity to the game", saying "We want players to be excited about customizing their characters with authentic gear. We dialed it back a bit. It was pretty crazy, We wanted to offer some authenticity, and that’s important to us, that’s important to our players.”

In August 2018, the Cowen Group, gaming industry analysts, reported that pre-order sales of Battlefield V were "weak", being 85% behind those of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.