Battlefield (series)

Battlefield
Battlefield series logo
Genres	First-person shooter
Developers	EA DICE Visceral Games
Publishers	‹See Tfd› NA / EU: Electronic Arts ‹See Tfd› JP: Electronic Arts Square (2002-2003)
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Platform of origin	Microsoft Windows
First release	Battlefield 1942 September 10, 2002
Latest release	Battlefield 1 October 21, 2016

Battlefield is a series of first-person shooter video games that started out on Microsoft Windows and OS X with Battlefield 1942, which was released in 2002. The series is developed by Swedish company EA DICE and is published by American company Electronic Arts. The series features a particular focus on large maps, teamwork and vehicle warfare, compared to many other first-person shooters. The PC games in the series are mainly focused on online multiplayer. The Battlefield series has been played by more than 50 million players worldwide as of 2012,^[1] across 11 games and 12 expansion packs released since its inception in 2002. The series' music has a recognizable 6-beat sting.^[2][3]

Gameplay

Battlefield series games usually focus on large, online multiplayer battles (with the exception of Battlefield Hardline). Playing in squads has become a major element of games in the series.

Since Battlefield 2, the series centrally record online statistics for each player allowing the players to receive rank promotions and weapon unlocks based on their statistics as well as awards such as medals, ribbons and pins.

A class system has been 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 melee other players 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.^[4]

Games

Titles in the Battlefield series

Year	Engine	Title	Platform(s)
			Win	OS X	PS2	Xbox	PS3	X360	PS4	XONE
2002	Refractor 1	Battlefield 1942	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
2003		■ Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
		■ Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
2004		Battlefield Vietnam	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
2005	RenderWare	Battlefield 2: Modern Combat	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
	Refractor 2	Battlefield 2	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
		■ Battlefield 2: Special Forces	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
2006		■ Battlefield 2: Euro Force	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
		■ Battlefield 2: Armored Fury	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
		Battlefield 2142	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
2007		■ Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
2008	Frostbite 1.0	Battlefield: Bad Company	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
2009	Refractor 2	Battlefield Heroes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
	Frostbite 1.5	Battlefield 1943	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
2010		Battlefield: Bad Company 2	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
		■ Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
	Refractor 2	Battlefield Online	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
2011		Battlefield Play4Free	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
	Frostbite 2	Battlefield 3	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
		■ Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
2012		■ Battlefield 3: Close Quarters	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
		■ Battlefield 3: Armored Kill	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
		■ Battlefield 3: Aftermath	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
2013		■ Battlefield 3: End Game	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
	Frostbite 3	Battlefield 4	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: China Rising	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2013/2014†		■ Battlefield 4: Second Assault	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2014		■ Battlefield 4: Naval Strike	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: Dragon's Teeth	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: Final Stand	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2015		■ Battlefield 4: Weapons Crate	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: Night Operations	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: Community Operations	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield 4: Legacy Operations	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
		Battlefield Hardline	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield Hardline: Criminal Activity	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield Hardline: Robbery	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2016		■ Battlefield Hardline: Getaway	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		■ Battlefield Hardline: Betrayal	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
		Battlefield 1	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
			Win	OS X	PS2	Xbox	PS3	X360	PS4	XONE
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]

Development history

Aggregate review scores

Game	Year	Metacritic
Battlefield 1942	2002	89/100[6]
Battlefield Vietnam	2004	84/100[7]
Battlefield 2	2005	91/100[8]
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat	2005	PS2: 80/100[9] X360: 77/100[10] XBOX: 80/100[11]
Battlefield 2142	2006	80/100[12]
Battlefield: Bad Company	2008	PS3: 84/100[13] X360: 83/100[14]
Battlefield Heroes	2009	69/100[15]
Battlefield 1943	2009	PS3: 83/100[16] X360: 83/100[17]
Battlefield: Bad Company 2	2010	IOS: 64/100[18] PC: 87/100[19] PS3: 88/100[20] X360: 88/100[21]
Battlefield Play4Free	2010	68/100[22]
Battlefield 3	2011	PC: 89/100[23] PS3: 85/100[24] X360: 84/100[25]
Battlefield 4	2013	PC: 81/100[26] PS3: 80/100[27] PS4: 85/100[28] X360: 79/100[29] XONE: 81/100[30]
Battlefield Hardline	2015	PC: 71/100[31] PS4: 73/100[32] XONE: 71/100[33]
Battlefield 1	2016	PC: 88/100[34] PS4: 88/100[35] XONE: 88/100[36]

Battlefield 1942 was released on September 10, 2002, using the Refractor game engine, also introducing the "Conquest" gameplay mode, in which players fought for "control points" throughout the map. Two expansion packs were released in 2003, Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome and Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII.

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 supporting dense foliage.

The 2005 release Battlefield 2 takes place in the modern day, depicting a war between the United States fighting China and the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition (MEC). Despite it 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.^[37] 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 equippable items 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.^[38]

Battlefield: Bad Company, released in 2008, followed the "B" 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.^[39]

In 2010, a sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, was released, involving "B" Company's search for an EMP 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 such as the AN-94 and As-Val. 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,^[40][41] and in 2010 it was confirmed that gamers who pre-ordered Medal of Honor Limited Edition Battlefield 3 48 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.^[42] 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.^[43] 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).^[44] Battlefield Play4Free went into open beta on April 4, 2011.^[45]

On July 17, 2012, an advertisement appeared on EA's Origin webpage that players who pre-order Medal of Honor: Warfighter, would receive access to a Battlefield 4 Beta. Battlefield 4 was announced on March 26, 2013. A Beta for the game began on October 1 and ended on October 15. It was released 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.

In July 2015, CFO of EA Blake Jorgensen announced a new Battlefield title will be released in 2016.^[46][47][48] This has been 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.^[49] On May 6, 2016, Battlefield 1 was officially announced, with an official reveal trailer on YouTube and was released on October 21, 2016.^[50][51]

TV series

In October 2012, Fox Broadcasting Company announced their intentions to make a one-hour-long television show based on Battlefield: Bad Company. The show would 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.^[52]

In July 2016, Paramount Television announced that will adapt the game series for the small screen. Anonymous Content's Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta will executive produce.^[53]

References

1. Gilbert, Ben (13 August 2012). "Battlefield series celebrates 7 year anniversary: over 0 million served". AOL - Joystiq. Retrieved 6 November 2012.
2. "Bottling Lightning: Recording the Music of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-01-07.
3. "Music productions". Joel Eriksson. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
4. Ocampo, Jason (2006-10-17). "E3 06: Battlefield 2142 Hands-On - PC Previews at GameSpot". Gamespot.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
5. "Battlefield 4 Second Assault Is Rolling Out - News - Battlelog / Battlefield 4". Battlelog.battlefield.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
6. "Battlefield 1942 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
7. "Battlefield Vietnam for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
8. "Battlefield 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
9. "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
10. "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
11. "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
12. "Battlefield 2142 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
13. "Battlefield: Bad Company for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
14. "Battlefield: Bad Company for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
15. "Battlefield Heroes for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
16. "Battlefield 1943 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
17. "Battlefield 1943 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
18. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
19. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
20. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
21. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
22. "Battlefield Play4Free for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
23. "Battlefield 3 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
24. "Battlefield 3 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
25. "Battlefield 3 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
26. "Battlefield 4 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
27. "Battlefield 4 for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
28. "Battlefield 4 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
29. "Battlefield 4 for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
30. "Battlefield 4 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
31. "Battlefield Hardline for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
32. "Battlefield Hardline for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
33. "Battlefield Hardline for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
34. "Battlefield 1 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
35. "Battlefield 1 for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
36. "Battlefield 1 for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
37. "Digital Illusions Interim report January–June 2006". p. 3. Archived from the original on 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
38. Klepek, Patrick (2006-10-19). "Gamers Wary of Battlefield 2142's 'Spyware'". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2006-10-20.
39. "Battlefield 1943 PC Canceled". IGN. 2011-02-03. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
40. Patrick Klepek (2009-06-10). "Electronic Arts Confirms Battlefield 3 In Development". G4TV. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
41. Reilly, Jim (2009-06-10). "EA Confirms Battlefield 3 Development". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
42. Release-window announced Archived February 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
43. "Battlefield Official Site". Battlefield.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
44. "EA Blows Up Online PC Gaming with Battlefield Play4Free-IGN.com". Pc.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
45. "EA's Battlefield Play4Free Starts Open Beta". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
46. ""New Battlefield Game Coming In 2016"". ign.com. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
47. ""Battlefield is on EA's release schedule for 2016"". pcgamer.com. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
48. ""EA Confirms That A New Battlefield Is Coming In 2016"". gameinformer.com. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
49. Prescott, Shaun (December 14, 2015). "Battlefield 5 is currently in development, says DICE rep". PC Gamer. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
50. Futter, Mike (May 6, 2016). "EA Announces Battlefield 1 With First Details". Game Informer. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
51. Nunneley, Stephany (May 6, 2016). "Battlefield 1 releases worldwide Oct. 21: here's the world premiere trailer". VG247. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
52. Andreeva, Nellie (October 8, 2012). "Fox To Develop Action TV Series Based On Video Game 'Battlefield: Bad Company'". Deadline. PMC (company). Retrieved October 8, 2012.
53. Petski, Denise (July 11, 2016). "'Battlefield' Video Game To Be Adapted As TV Series By Paramount TV & Anonymous Content". Retrieved July 11, 2016.

External links

• Official Battlefield website