DICE might have been quite silent about the development of the highly anticipated first-person game "Battlefield 5," but the firm sure has not held back in the number of teases it has been giving fans. Just last week, the developer's senior media director Randy Evans posted cryptic message referring to an upcoming announcement.
Of course, with a franchise as successful and with a fanbase as massive as "Battlefield," the rumor mill has been on overdrive, with the latest reports stating that the upcoming title, which is widely referred to as "Battlefield 5," would be set neither in the present nor the future. Rather, it would be set in the past.
Almost a hundred years in the past, actually. Currently, and seemingly on the brink of a pertinent announcement from DICE, the "Battlefield" community has been abuzz with speculations and predictions about what the upcoming game would be like.
In a lot of ways, setting the new "Battlefield" title on the brutal battles of World War I makes a lot of sense. After all, the First World War involved a significant number of intense battles which would be pretty interesting to explore in a first-person shooter game.
In fact, the idea of stepping back into the past was allegedly being considered by the franchise's biggest competitor, "Call of Duty," although the idea was eventually scrapped in favor of pushing the series towards a more futuristic setting.
Then again, it is one angle that "Battlefield" might just thrive on.
For one, there is just not enough good titles out there that are creating games which feature the First and Second World War. Considering how prolific the two wars are, it is quite surprising that game developers have not cashed in on the theme yet.
However, if DICE opts to take the series back into the past, it would also be treading in some unfamiliar waters. After all, if the game does adopt a World War I theme, it would have to adjust the pace of its combat system to that of the era, which is pretty slow-paced and spartan. Such things, however, are not the marks of a "Battlefield" game.
Thus, if DICE does decide to explore World War I for its upcoming "Battlefield" title, the company must take very careful steps to make sure they make a game that is different, yet is still distinctly "Battlefield."
For now, fans can only hope, and once more, wait.
