DICE’s Battlefield 5 hasn’t exactly been the rocking release that Electronic Arts was expecting. The title under-performed as per its publisher’s expectations, though it still sold over 7 million units in the process. In terms of new content, fans can expect new map, Mercury, to go live tomorrow.
However, it seems that some content will be going away, or be de-prioritized. In a recent community broadcast post on Reddit, DICE revealed that it would be removing dedicated playlists for Frontlines and Domination this week.
“Both playlists are highlighted as being significantly less popular, and a lot less populated when compared to more established modes like Conquest,” wrote the developer. “Our preference is to ensure that we are adding to the fun rather than creating frustration, and that the always on game modes in Battlefield 5 meet our own expectations in terms of quality.”
The developer will also look into being “more proactive in removing the modes that don’t meet these standards, in favor of instead investing more resources in both featuring, developing, and improving newer and refreshed experiences like Rush, Grind, Fortress, and Outpost.” This approach shouldn’t come as too surprising, especially since Duos was removed from Firestorm due to low population.
Frontlines will still be available in Grand Operations and can be joined via Server Browser. The development team may even look into redesigning the mode and bringing it back later, or cycling it through Tides of War. Expect more information on that later in June. There may also be a chance of both modes being featured in mixed game mode rotations when new content arrives.
Thus far, the community isn’t really happy about these changes. Time will tell how it affects the game’s popularity, so stay tuned.