Battlefield 6 has a long road ahead of it to win back the trust of its broader player base, but a recent leak might have negated everything it has built up to so far. While it has been taken with a grain of salt from the series' past endeavors, everything that EA has officially revealed for the Battlefield 6 has already shown a lot of promise. From bringing back iconic mechanics like class-based squads and returning to a more gritty modern setting, everything looked great for Battlefield ​​​​​​until these recent leaks.

Even when the incredibly promising pre-alpha footage for Battlefield 6 was leaked, many fans were still worried about another disaster like Battlefield 2042. While many of these concerns were entirely related to past entries rather than what was actually shown, the sheer amount of hype surrounding the initial reveal trailer for Battlefield 2042 is more than enough reason to remain cautious in the meantime. Although it is too early to completely write off Battlefield 6, I'm still incredibly concerned that EA doesn't understand what Battlefield fans want on a fundamental level after this recent leak.

Battlefield 6 Allegedly Has A Battle Royale Mode

A Concerning Shift In Direction For The Future Of Battlefield

While Battlefield 6 was already rumored to be releasing alongside a battle royale mode of some kind, several data miners confirmed the battle royale's existence alongside more information about it. According to Insider Gaming, the mode will include plenty of traditional mechanics such as "solo, duo, trio, and squad matches, an armor system, call-ins, loot rarity, update kits and weapons, and a shrinking zone." While all of these features are nothing new for the genre, that's my biggest problem with the leaks, as it doesn't seem to offer anything to stand apart from the crowd.

Following the less-than-positive reception to Battlefield V and the absolute disaster of Battlefield 2024, it's clear that the Battlefield 6 will be a major make-or-break entry for the series. Thankfully, the Battle Royale mode is planned to be released as a separate free-to-play addition alongside Battlefield 6, similar to Call of Duty: Warzone, according to the leaks, rather than taking up direct resources from the title. While there's a chance that a battle royale mode could take advantage of Battlefield's unique mechanics for a fresh experience, it raises some reasonable concerns over EA's focus on the series.

Battle Royales Aren’t The Big Multiplayer Trend Anymore

Chasing A Dying Trend Could Easily Do More Harm Than Good

The biggest initial hurdle facing Battlefield 6's battle royale mode is how late it's showing up to the trend, with the battle royale genre being a fraction of its past stranglehold on the market. This isn't to say that the battle royale genre is completely dead, as games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Warzone still perform consistently well through microtransactions. Given the staggering amount of money Apex Legends has generated since its launch, it's not much of a surprise that EA would try to replicate the formula again, but it will have a hard time competing with such established franchises.

Most of Battlefield's biggest mistakes in the past can be boiled down to trying to replicate the success of other franchises.

Even if the battle royale mode managed to capture enough of an audience to survive in the long run, it could easily do more harm than good for the series. Most of Battlefield's biggest mistakes in the past can be boiled down to trying to replicate the success of other franchises, with the leaked battle royale sharing a concerning number of similarities to Warzone. Rather than copying the formulas of other games, EA could still see success for both its battle royale project and Battlefield 6 if it simply sticks to what makes the series unique.

Battlefield 6 Needs To Focus On What Makes Battlefield Special

Bringing Back The Chaotic Tactics That Made The Series So Popular

The Battlefield franchise has always had an incredibly talented team of concept artists at the helm, but the gritty boots-on-the-ground combat, gritty cityscapes like Brooklyn, and expansive battlefields are promising hints that EA still has some semblance of what makes the Battlefield franchise so iconic. While there's still room for new mechanics and environmental experimentation, Battlefield 2042 showed that sticking with the franchise's strengths of semi-tactical squad-based combat alongside a focus on destructible environments is where the series shines best.

I'm trying to remain hesitantly optimistic that the leaked battle royale mode could act as a beneficial companion to Battlefield 6 to help fund its future content updates.

Although Battlefield 6 initially won me over by addressing my biggest problem with the series by introducing Battlefield Labs to respond to player long before release, this recent announcement has pushed me back on the side of skepticism. While I'm trying to remain hesitantly optimistic that the leaked battle royale mode could act as a beneficial companion to Battlefield 6 to help fund its future content updates, it could easily overshadow the game if done incorrectly.

Based on the performance of recent entries in the Battlefield series and how EA has treated the Titanfall franchise following the success of Apex Legends​​​​​, there's a very real concern that this could be the last time we see a proper Battlefield game in its true form before a massive shift in development focus. Regardless of these worries, games like Warzone could provide a buildable reference point for EA on how to balance the game modes of Battlefield 6 in tandem, even if the competitor is far from perfect in its current state.

Source: Tom Henderson/Insider Gaming