In EA’s Q1 earnings call, COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen was asked if the battle royale mode in Battlefield V will have a standalone, free-to-play release like Fortnite. According to Jorgensen, battle royale in Battlefield V is being treated like any other game mode, meaning fans won’t have access to it unless they buy the rest of the game. However, Jorgensen hinted that EA may make a separate battle royale game that’s standalone.
If Battlefield V’s battle royale mode was free-to-play, it could actually be a clever way for EA to fight for attention against the other major battle royale titles out there. After all, battle royale games need significant player counts in order to be successful, considering the player requirement for each match, and there are only so many battle royale fans to go around. Battlefield V could arguably obtain a larger audience than paid games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 by offering its battle royale mode as a separate, free-to-play experience.
It’s somewhat odd that other battle royale games haven’t really attempted to mimic Fortnite in this regard already. For the uninitiated, Fortnite offers both a paid version and the free-to-play battle royale version, and that along with it being available on almost every gaming platform imaginable, is part of the reason why it’s so successful to this day.
For now, it appears as though Battlefield V’s battle royale mode won’t be available as a separate, free-to-play download. However, it’s possible that EA and DICE could change their minds, especially since battle royale won’t even be available in Battlefield V at launch, giving executives plenty of time to change their minds.
Battlefield V will launch on October 19 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
