EA are trying something a little bit different with Battlefield Hardline, as the publisher aims to move the series into a more urban cops-and-robbers type of theme, but this is actually something DICE have been planning since Battlefield 2.
”Probably the first prototype of something like Hardline was at DICE. We did it just after Battlefield 2.” said Patrick Soderlund, executive vice president of EA Studios in an interview with Venturebeat. ”There’s still footage that I saw not long ago from that, which looks…not so good.”
”The whole idea of a more urban cops-and-robbers type of theme has been there a long time, in multiple iterations that we’ve at least started.” he added. ”Then we’ve always had other ideas and things we’ve had to do.”
EA seem to be treating the beta phase like an early access programme, as the team are using the feedback to not only fix bugs, but work on features that it might have thought wrong about and course-correct them based on player feedback.
The publisher doesn’t seem to be worried about loosing the battlefield players it’s generated from the military fantasy setting it’s based on, as it believes it might be able to attract players from other popular brands like Grand Theft Auto.
”You have some Battlefield players that are maybe into the Battlefield series mostly for the military fantasy. Some might say, “This may not be for me.” But I think we’ll also see a lot of Battlefield players who like this.” said Soderlund. “I also think this game can help us attract people who haven’t played Battlefield before, that maybe come from the GTA segment or wherever.”
What do you make of Battlefield Hardline? Is the setting something that could draw you into the battlefield mix?
