DICE and Electronic Arts announced Battlefield 1 today, proving most of the leaks to be correct: the game is set in the First World War. It’s the biggest Battlefield game since pretty much ever and it’ll include a wide range of weapons and vehicles—much more so than any previous title in the series, including a few exotic weapons that players wouldn’t normally expect.
The developers decided to call it Battlefield 1 because it’s the genesis of modern warfare, the beginning of “all-out war.” The game features a wide range of features that are emblematic of warfare in the dawn of the 20th century.
Speaking to the fans who tuned in to the game’s livestream, DICE elaborated on the game’s features, some of which will attempt to replicate events that happened during the Great War, including suicidal cavalry charges and air-to-air dogfights. The launch trailer showcased some of these details.
Battlefield 1 Facts
Servers will max out at 64-players, offering servers as large as Battlefield 4 and many times bigger than most online shooters. With that being said, much of the gameplay is focused on close-quarters battles within trenches and other confined spaces, for a tighter, packed feel.
For open battlefields, players will be able to ride horses, and use a wide variety of vehicles including light and heavy tanks, battleships, biplanes, and bombers.
The developers took a Q&A session with the fans who attended the event. Here’s what they said:
Q: How is vehicle game play going to be different in BF1?
A: Different types of tanks, play different to each other, huge tanks (Bring whole squad in tank)
Q: Are their flamethrowers?
A: Yeah!
Q: Weapon customisation?
A: Yes there is, can’t reveal to much info right now
Q: Can you fight with the horses?
A: Yeah!
Q: Talk about gas and gas masks
A: Yes! The counter to gas is obviously a gas mask, whether you want to charge through it or not is up to you.
Cover Art
Release Date and Early Access
The game will be available on Origin’s early access on October 18 through both the Xbox One and PC. It’ll be available at retail on October 21, 2016 on PC, Xbox One and PS4. Battlefield 1 will also be available in a Collector’s Edition and an Early Enlister Deluxe Edition.
