A lot of exciting hints about the next Battlefield can already be drawn from official sources.
Should the next Battlefield get a solo campaign again like the last one in Battlefield Hardline and Battlefield 4? After the latest Battlefield 2042 did exactly that completely without, a Battlefield 7 could get a playable story again (we reported).
This is indicated by various job offers at developer DICE. YouTuber Flakfire has analysed the job offers and draws a clear picture. We summarise his findings and give our assessment of how realistic we think they are.
These indications are there
As Flakfire points out, several studios around DICE are apparently working on creating some sort of connected Battlefield universe
. In other words: a coherent construct spanning several games, including story campaigns that refer to each other.
This should also include a proper story campaign for the next big Battlefield. After all, prominent developer Marcus Lehto, who co-invented the Master Chief from Halo, was hired. Here is an important clue that points to a strong focus for a single player campaign.
In addition, other jobs are vacant for Battlefield: For example, a design director is expected to set a narrative direction that results in a quality single-player campaign that runs through multiple missions. That sounds like more than the short, independently functioning War Stories in Battlefield 5 delivered last time.
Something could also be happening in terms of destruction: Further job applications explicitly indicate that the sandbox elements of the levels should function as part of the narrative. Destruction most recently took a lot of flak in Battlefield 2042 for being scaled back significantly from its predecessor.
In addition, something should play a role that is not yet really associated with Battlefield campaigns: Replayability. So there should be incentives to play through the same levels several times.
You can watch YouTuber Flakfire’s video in full here:
How likely is this?
Looking at the job applications, the likelihood increases that a Battlefield 7, or whatever the next main entry in the series may be called, will once again include a classic Battlefield 4-style campaign. The wording underlines DICE’s effort to find suitable talent for a fleshed-out campaign.
After numerous experiments in Battlefield 2042 met with little approval from the community, it would be anything but surprising if DICE were to concentrate more on the core that once made the brand so successful. And that would certainly also be in the interest of many fans.
If you’re not averse to an old Battlefield in a new guise, take a look at the video above. There, modders turn the entire game into a merciless hardcore shooter.
