Electronic Arts’ Battlefield series and Activision’s Call of Duty franchise always had a bit of a rivalry between them. While Call of Duty is more focused on its story and characters, Battlefield prefers to emphasize the gameplay and multiplayer aspect of it. This strategy has more or less kept Call of Duty always ahead of Battlefield and increased the rival gap between them.
EA tried to change a lot of features and mechanics in their BF titles to go head-to-head with Call of Duty, but those haven’t been working out for a while now. With the release of Battlefield 6 on the verge, there might be a chance for EA to actually surpass Call of Duty if they decide to implement this one aspect from their previous games. Let’s find out what.
Battlefield’s story-telling method is unique from every other FPS game
Call of Duty has always focused more on their story of saving America or fighting with cool soldiers than the actual gameplay. The whole series feels less like a video game and more like a movie, with each game campaign having its own significant arc and a full-fledged story. The BF series, on the other hand, focuses more on mission plots that are not interlinked with each other.
BF followed this formula of independent stories throughout the entirety of their franchise except for their latest release, Battlefield 2042, which has no campaign at all. This method of story-telling feels more personal to the players and makes them more connected to the game.
In a 2018 interview between PCgamesn and the design director of BF, Daniel Berlin, he revealed that all the missions and stories in the game are meant to leave an impact on the players.
We wanted to create feelings of despair. Like there was no hope. I think videogames can be lots of things, but I’m really interested in where we can take games with that kind of serious tone. I’m especially proud of The Last Tiger, which isn’t out yet, but which came about because of the Battlefield 1 tank story Through Mud and Blood.
He also talks about The Last Tiger, which is a mission from Battlefield 5 and is truly one of the best mission stories in the entire BF franchise.
EA might finally have a chance to outsell Call of Duty with their new formula
This unique formula of story-telling, which is like a video game anthology series, can actually serve as the key for EA to finally beat Call of Duty in their rivalry. While Call of Duty thrives on high-stakes global conflicts and heroic characters, Battlefield has mastered the art of presenting war in their games through different perspectives. This method can offer the player an engaging way of approaching the missions rather than trying to mimic CoD.
EA finally has the opportunity to reignite interest in the Battlefield franchise to both newcomers and long-time fans of the game. If Battlefield 6 implements a similar type of story-telling technique to its predecessors, it can excel in both the multiplayer and campaign aspects of the story.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
