Battlefield | |
---|---|
Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
Developer(s) | DICE Other
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Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
Creator(s) | Johan Persson |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS, Kindle Fire |
First release | Battlefield 1942 September 10, 2002 |
Latest release | Battlefield 2042 November 19, 2021 |
Battlefield is a series of first-person shooter video games developed by Swedish company EA DICE and is published by American company Electronic Arts. It started out on Microsoft Windows and OS X with Battlefield 1942 , which was released in 2002. The Battlefield series has been played by more than 50 million players worldwide as of August 2012. [1] [2]
The series features a particular focus on large maps, teamwork and combined arms warfare. The PC games in the series are mainly focused on online multiplayer.
Battlefield series games usually focus on large-scale, online multiplayer battles. Playing in squads has become a major element of games in the series. Apart from infantry, tanks, airplanes, and other vehicles may participate in these battles.
Since Battlefield 2 , the series centrally recorded online stats for each player, allowing users to receive rank promotions and weapon unlocks based on their performance as well as awards such as medals, ribbons, and pins.
A class system is present within all the Battlefield games. Each class features a different type of primary weapon along with different equipment, differentiating roles on the battlefield.
The ability to engage other players in melee combat with a knife has been present in Battlefield games. Since Battlefield 2142 , the series has included an award of dog tags for each player killed using a knife. [3]
Since the introduction of Frostbite, almost fully destructible maps have become one of the most well-known features of the series.
Year | Engine | Title | Platform(s) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows | macOS | PS2 | Xbox | PS3 | X360 | PS4 | XONE | PS5 | XSX/S | ANDR | iOS | |||
2002 | Refractor 1 | Battlefield 1942 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
2003 | ■ Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
2004 | Battlefield Vietnam | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
2005 | Refractor 2 | Battlefield 2 | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
RenderWare / Proprietary Engine | Battlefield 2: Modern Combat | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Refractor 2 | ■ Battlefield 2: Special Forces | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
2006 | ■ Battlefield 2: Euro Force | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 2: Armored Fury | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
Battlefield 2142 | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
2007 | ■ Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
2008 | Frostbite 1.0 | Battlefield: Bad Company | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
2009 | Refractor 2 | Battlefield Heroes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Frostbite 1.5 | Battlefield 1943 | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
2010 | Battlefield: Bad Company 2 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
■ Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
Refractor 2 | Battlefield Online | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
2011 | Battlefield Play4Free | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Frostbite 2 | Battlefield 3 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
2012 | ■ Battlefield 3: Close Quarters | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 3: Armored Kill | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 3: Aftermath | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ||
2013 | ■ Battlefield 3: End Game | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
Frostbite 3 | Battlefield 4 | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 4: China Rising | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2013/2014† | ■ Battlefield 4: Second Assault | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
2014 | ■ Battlefield 4: Naval Strike | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 4: Dragon's Teeth | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 4: Final Stand | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2015 | ■ Battlefield 4: Weapons Crate | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 4: Night Operations | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 4: Community Operations | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 4: Legacy Operations | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
Battlefield Hardline | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield Hardline: Robbery | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield Hardline: Blackout | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2016 | ■ Battlefield Hardline: Getaway | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield Hardline: Betrayal | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
Battlefield 1 | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2017 | ■ Battlefield 1: They Shall Not Pass | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 1: In the Name of the Tsar | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 1: Turning Tides | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2018 | ■ Battlefield 1: Apocalypse | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
Battlefield V | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield V: Overture | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield V: Lightning Strikes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2019 | ■ Battlefield V: Trial by Fire | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield V: Defying the Odds | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield V: War in the Pacific | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2020 | ■ Battlefield V: Into the Jungle | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | |
■ Battlefield V: Summer Update | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | ||
2021 | Frostbite [4] | Battlefield 2042 | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
2022 | ■ Battlefield 2042: Zero Hour | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 2042: Master of Arms | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 2042: Escalation | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
2023 | ■ Battlefield 2042: Eleventh Hour | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
■ Battlefield 2042: New Dawn | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
■ Battlefield 2042: Dark Creations | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | ||
2024 | ■ Battlefield 2042: Turning Point | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
Cancelled | Unreal Engine 4 | Battlefield Mobile | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Notes: ■ DLC located directly below the title it was released for. † Was released exclusively for Xbox One in 4th quarter 2013, then was released for the remaining platforms in 1st quarter 2014. [5] |
Game | Year | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
Battlefield 1942 | 2002 | 89/100 [6] |
Battlefield Vietnam | 2004 | 84/100 [7] |
Battlefield 2 | 2005 | 91/100 [8] |
Battlefield 2142 | 2006 | 80/100 [9] |
Battlefield 3 | 2011 | PC: 89/100 [10] PS3: 85/100 [11] X360: 84/100 [12] |
Battlefield 4 | 2013 | PC: 81/100 [13] PS3: 80/100 [14] PS4: 85/100 [15] X360: 79/100 [16] XONE: 81/100 [17] |
Battlefield 1 | 2016 | PC: 88/100 [18] PS4: 89/100 [19] XONE: 87/100 [20] |
Battlefield V | 2018 | PC: 81/100 [21] PS4: 73/100 [22] XONE: 78/100 [23] |
Battlefield 2042 | 2021 | PC: 68/100 [24] PS5: 63/100 [25] XSX/S: 64/100 [26] |
Battlefield 1942 was released on September 10, 2002, using the Refractor game engine, and set in World War II. It introduced the "Conquest" gameplay mode, in which players fought for "control points" throughout the map. Two expansion packs were released.
Battlefield Vietnam , released in 2004, moved the setting to the Vietnam War, and was built on an updated Refractor engine with various gameplay improvements, such as the ability to fire personal weapons while seated in vehicles, and visualizing dense foliage.
The 2005 release Battlefield 2 takes place in the modern day, depicting a war between the United States and China and the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition (MEC). Despite requiring numerous patches due to a large number of bugs and glitches in the game upon its release, it was a large commercial success, selling more than 2,250,000 copies worldwide, by July 2006. [27] One expansion pack, Special Forces , which added Russia, exclusive missions, and new weapons and gadgets, and two booster packs, Armored Fury (adding three new battles in the USA) and Euro Force (adding the European Union), were also released. A similar game called Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was released for consoles, with a larger single player mode but limited online play.
Battlefield 2142 was released in 2006, taking place during a global ice age in the 22nd century. While most of it is graphically similar to Battlefield 2, it introduced a variety of equipment to unlock and battles between two giant "Titan" airships. The Northern Strike expansion pack was later released, adding new maps, vehicles, and a new game mode. Its use of in-game advertising was controversial among players and not well received. [28]
Battlefield: Bad Company , released in 2008, is set in a near-future war between the United States and Russia, and follows a US Army company's escapades and their search for hidden gold. This new Battlefield game had a variety of vehicles for land, air and sea. It had a new destruction system that allowed the player to break and destroy environments, based on a new game engine named Frostbite, which replaced the Refractor engine used in earlier releases (with the exception of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, which used RenderWare).
In 2009, EA released two download-only games, Battlefield Heroes , a free-to-play Refractor 2 engine game, supported by advertising and micropayments and Battlefield 1943 , a Frostbite engine game, released in July 2009, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and was scheduled for release in Q1 2010, for PCs, but was cancelled. [29]
In 2010, a sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 , was released, involving "B" Company's search for an electromagnetic pulse weapon. It features a larger multiplayer than its predecessor Bad Company, with updated graphics and realistic effects (e.g. bullet-drop). The game introduced the rush game mode and brought in weapons. It features a "VIP" system of content distribution where player with VIP codes gain early access to new maps. DICE also released an expansion for Bad Company 2, Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam , setting the game in the Vietnam War.
Battlefield 3 was announced in 2009, [30] [31] and in 2010 it was confirmed that gamers who pre-ordered Medal of Honor Limited Edition would receive Battlefield 3 forty-eight hours before the open beta was released. On February 4, 2011, the first teaser trailer for the game was revealed, with a preliminary release in the Fall of 2011. [32] Among the features that remain in the game are Jets and the ability to go prone. The game allows 64 (on the PC) players as in all previous Battlefield titles, though the consoles allow for 24-player matches. The Battlefield 3 Beta was released on September 29, 2011. [33] Battlefield 3 was released on October 25, 2011 and has received high review scores and has received awards from IGN.
On November 5, 2010, EASY Studios announced a follow-up to its free-to-play Battlefield Heroes , Battlefield Play4Free . EASY develops the free-to-play variants of Battlefield. Its latest offering gives players the same free-to-play pricing structure of Heroes, while still offering a more serious, core Battlefield experience (as opposed to Heroes' lighthearted, cartoon-styled environment). [34] Battlefield Play4Free went into open beta on April 4, 2011. [35]
Battlefield 4 was announced on March 26, 2013. On July 17, 2012, it was announced that players who pre-order Medal of Honor: Warfighter would receive access to a Battlefield 4 beta. The beta for the game began on October 1 and ended on October 15 with a full release on October 29, 2013.
Information about the next entry in the series, Battlefield Hardline , was leaked on May 27, 2014, and officially unveiled on June 9, 2014, during E3. The game was developed by Visceral Games and, unlike previous installments in the franchise, is centered around a cops-and-robbers theme.
Battlefield: Bad Company 3 was an upcoming entry into the series, a follow-up to 2010's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 . [36] [37] General Manager of DICE, Karl-Magnus Troedsson stated in a 2014 interview with Eurogamer that the game is not in active development as the studio doesn't know what exactly fans loved about the series as there has never been a clear line of the matter and they do not want to risk destroying the series. [38] Despite this, DICE has made it clear that they will be developing Bad Company 3 at some point. [39]
In July 2015, CFO of EA Blake Jorgensen announced a new Battlefield title would be released in 2016. [40] [41] [42] This was followed up by Dan Vaderlind, EA DICE Development Director, announcing that since Star Wars Battlefront has been released, he will now be focused on the upcoming Battlefield title. [43] On May 6, 2016, Battlefield 1 was officially announced, with an official reveal trailer on YouTube, and was released on October 21, 2016. [44] [45]
In a May 2018 live reveal event it was confirmed that it the next installment would be a World War II game after several leaks suggested it would be set during this period, with the title revealed as Battlefield V . [46] Battlefield V was released later that year on November 20, 2018 while also offering certain players early access to the game as early as November 9, 2018. [47]
Battlefield 2042 was released on November 19, 2021. During EA's 2020/2021 Q3 earnings call it was revealed that the game will be the first to release on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, utilizing their processing power to feature more players than ever in the online portion of the game. [48] Additionally, it saw multiple innovations in multiplayer, social, and competition aspects that are new to the franchise. [49] After 2042 was met with a poor launch, it was announced that Oskar Gabrielson, the general manager of DICE, would be stepping down from his position, and Rebecka Coutaz, former Managing Director of Ubisoft Annecy, would replace him. Vince Zampella of Respawn Entertainment and Ripple Effect Studios (the latter of which had created 2042's Portal Mode) will be heading the Battlefield franchise. It was also reported that EA game director Marcus Lehto is building a new Seattle-based studio focused on story content for Battlefield, while Ripple Effect is developing a new "Battlefield experience" set in the game's universe. [50]
Battlefield Mobile was a cancelled free-to-play game for the Android, with an iOS release initially planned before the game's cancellation on January 31, 2023. An open beta was released in November 2022. [51] The game was cancelled on January 31, 2023. The developer of the game, Industrial Toys, was also shut down. [52]
In October 2012, Fox Broadcasting Company announced their intentions to make a one-hour-long television show based on Battlefield: Bad Company. [53] The show was to be written by executive producer John Eisendrath and co-produced by Patrick Bach and Patrick O'Brien of Electronic Arts, and Doug Robinson of Happy Madison. Nothing has been developed after their announcement. [54]
In July 2016, Paramount Television announced that it will adapt the game series for television. Anonymous Content's Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta will executive produce. [55]
Battlefield 1942 is a 2002 first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. The game can be played in single-player mode against the video game AI or in multiplayer mode against players on the Internet or in a local area network. It is a popular platform for mod developers, with many released modifications that alter the gameplay and theme.
Battlefield 2142 is a 2006 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fourth game in the Battlefield series. Battlefield 2142 is set in 2142, depicting a war known as "The Cold War of the 22nd Century", in which two military superpowers – the European Union (EU) and Pan Asian Coalition (PAC) – battle for the remaining unfrozen land during a new ice age.
Battlefield: Bad Company is a first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Part of the Battlefield series, it was released in North America on 23 June 2008, followed by a European release on 26 June. The game was hinted at just before the release of Battlefield 2, and announced sixteen months later. A direct sequel, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows on 2 March 2010. The player controls protagonist Private Preston Marlowe and his exploits to steal gold from mercenaries along with his squad, in the midst of a war between the United States and Russia.
Frostbite is a game engine developed by DICE, designed for cross-platform use on Microsoft Windows, seventh generation game consoles PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, eighth generation game consoles PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and ninth generation game consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, in addition to usage in the cloud streaming service Google Stadia.
Battlefield Heroes was a 2009 third-person shooter video game initially developed by DICE, further developed by Easy Studios, and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows. A free-to-play spinoff of the Battlefield series, Battlefield Heroes was designed to be less demanding on computer specifications than the previous games in the series. This change was made to increase the player base, as well as to match players of similar skill levels together for fairer play.
Star Wars Battlefront is an action shooter video game developed by DICE, with additional work from Criterion Games, and published by Electronic Arts in November 2015. The game, based on the Star Wars film franchise, is the third major release in the Star Wars: Battlefront sub-series, but is considered a reboot to the previous games, instead of a sequel, to reflect the new Star Wars canon that Lucasfilm established after being acquired by The Walt Disney Company.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android and Kindle Fire systems. It is a direct sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and is part of the Battlefield game series. It was released worldwide in March 2010. The iOS port was released on the App Store on December 16, 2010. The Android and Kindle Fire versions were released in June 2012.
Battlefield 1943 is a first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through digital distribution. It takes place in the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II. A Microsoft Windows version was planned but later cancelled.
Battlefield 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2.
Medal of Honor is a first-person shooter video game developed by Danger Close Games and EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the thirteenth installment in the Medal of Honor series and a reboot of the series. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 12, 2010. While the previous titles were set during World War II, Medal of Honor takes place during the War in Afghanistan. The game is loosely based on parts of Operation Anaconda; specifically, the events surrounding the Battle of Roberts Ridge.
Battlefield Play4Free is a defunct first-person shooter video game developed by Easy Studios and published by Electronic Arts. Based on the Battlefield series, the game featured a modern warfare battlefield setting. Play4Free is built on a modified version of Battlefield 2's game engine, with improvements such as high resolution artwork and post-processing effects. The game was also less demanding on computer specifications, similar to Battlefield Heroes.
Battlefield 4 is a 2013 first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in October and November for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, and is the sequel to 2011's Battlefield 3, taking place six years later during the fictional "War of 2020".
F1 2001 is a racing video game developed by Image Space Incorporated for the Microsoft Windows version and EA UK for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox version and published by EA Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the 2001 Formula One season. A port for GameCube was planned, but cancelled for unknown reasons, and eventually released with minor changes as F1 2002. A Game Boy Color version was also cancelled during development.
Battlefield Hardline is a first-person shooter video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in March 2015 for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Unlike the previous games in the Battlefield series, Hardline focuses on crime, heist and policing elements instead of military warfare.
EA Play is a subscription-based video game service from Electronic Arts for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows platforms, offering access to selected games published by Electronic Arts along with additional incentives.
Battlefield 1 is a first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the tenth installment in the Battlefield series and the first main entry in the series since Battlefield 4 in 2013. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in October 2016.
F1 is a racing video game series by Codemasters under the EA Sports banner since 2021. The series holds the official license of the FIA Formula One World Championship, with the FIA Formula 2 Championship available since the 2019 game. A total of twenty-one games have been released to date, with the series' latest installment, F1 23, released in June 2023.
Battlefield 2042 is a first-person shooter, developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. The twelfth main installment in the Battlefield series, it was released on November 19, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Unlike previous games in the series, Battlefield 2042 is solely multiplayer and does not have a single-player campaign. It features support for cross-platform play, a first in the series. Battlefield 2042 received mixed reviews from critics and a negative reception from players for its technical issues, lack of features, and certain changes to the gameplay. The game failed to meet the sales expectations of Electronic Arts.