The franchise is making strides toward a rebirth after Battlefield 2042 failed to deliver.

Battlefield is a popular franchise, but there was a detour in the early days that not many may remember. First developed by Refraction Games and eventually DICE, Battlefield 1942 was released in 2002 and was a popular multiplayer FPS at a time when online gaming was not as prevalent as it is today. Between that and Battlefield 2, a game with a modern combat twist, perhaps DICE and Electronic Arts could take advantage of the unique design elements and compelling environments.

In 2004, things took a turn. Battlefield Vietnam was released, which received good reviews and sold better than Battlefield 1942. Since then, the franchise has only visited Vietnam once, with the Battlefield Bad Company 2 expansion. The Vietnam wars have not been dealt with much in the games (there have been some attempts to make the locals the heroes: 7554 was one of them… but it was the battles against the French between 1946 and 1954). Rising Storm 2: Vietnam was one of them, and the theme and setting were not really used in AAA titles.

If Vietnam were to appear in a new Battlefield (say, Battlefield: Vietnam 2, if that were to happen), it would have little competition with modern military conflicts because of its uniqueness. The helicopters, airborne vehicles, and asymmetric factions made the first part unique. The differences in weapons, tactics, and resources between the US Army and the North and South Vietnamese created a lot of creativity, and the gameplay didn’t stagnate much either.

Electronic Arts has made Battlefield a high priority. In May, the publisher’s CEO Andrew Wilson said that the next installment in the franchise would have a large live service element.

Source: GameRant