Since E3, [easyazon_link identifier=”B07DMBLBLL” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Battlefield V[/easyazon_link] has been at the center of controversy.
Following the release of their trailer, a number of fans criticized the game for its lack of historical accuracy. Former Chief Creative Officer Patrick Soderlund responded by slapping the fans down. He specifically described them as “uneducated.” He also insinuated they shouldn’t buy the game.
Just a few weeks later, analysts predicted that Battlefield V was going to be this year’s video game bust based off of extremely poor pre-sales. The analysts simply cited increased competition from [easyazon_link identifier=”B072MKR1RL” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Call of Duty[/easyazon_link] and [easyazon_link identifier=”B01M5DZ525″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Red Dead Redemption[/easyazon_link]. However, if that was the case wouldn’t those games also be suffering to an extent? It’s more than likely Soderlund’s handling of the situation affected the poor pre-sales.
In response EA DICE announced they would delay the release of the game by at least a month. They also parted ways with Soderlund.
With the extra month, EA DICE actually seems to be trying to course correct and make amends with the fans and consumers they disappointed and insulted.
Battlefield V producer Andrew Gulotta explained the company will be looking to make the game more authentic to the World War II time period it is set in specifically addressing character customization. He addressed the situation on a Twitch live stream:
“We heard the community. We’re still looking at World War II through DICE’s lens, but how forward, how crazy we got with some of that? We heard the community, we understand there were some concerns about, hey, where’s the authenticity? We want players to be excited about customizing their characters with authentic gear.”
He continued into greater detail, even admitting that they went over the line which resulted in a massive loss to the authenticity they had previously touted and that fans have come to expect from the franchise.
“We dialed it back a bit. It was pretty crazy. We wanted to offer some authenticity, and that’s important to us, that’s important to our players. The community was definitely interested in that.”
But don’t get all of your hopes up, Dan left the door open for absolutely anything to be added to the game.
“Nothing is off the table. Again, we’ll watch how the community reacts, maybe we’ll try something. The nice thing about the armory, is we can put something out there, and if it doesn’t stick, it doesn’t stick. But first and foremost, we want to start with this authenticity approach.”
For fans of the franchise, this is welcoming news that at least some concerns are being acknowledged.
However, there are still some hurdles Battlefield V will have to jump before they get everything turned around. A number of players reported the the game was censoring a number phrases and words including “white man” and combinations of “DLC.”
One thing appears to be clear is that EA/DICE might actually be learning a lesson that you can’t insult and disrespect your customers and expect them to fork over their hard-earned cash on your game. While creating an excellent product is paramount, customer service is also key.
[easyazon_link identifier=”B07DMGBZ39″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Battlefield V[/easyazon_link] goes on sale on November 20th on X-Box One, PS4, and PC.