The end of Battlefield & Dice era

LMAO

New "Tom Cruise" BF5 update:
"I'm the hero of this movie" (downvoted to hell):


YongYea | EA/DICE Spit On Battlefield V One Last Time Before Prematurely Killing It:

intense cringe

just how i like it

Its really interesting to see how a company can missjudge its core community like this. I just want a good, semi-realistic, AAA WW2 shooter with tanks

The last Battlefield game I had outrageous fun in was Battlefield: Vietnam.

You could go into the enemy base as a sapper and plant tnt on the bottom of the Huey. Hilarious.

German Journalist confirms BfV development chaos
Battlefield V: ein Post Mortem!:

German Journalist and EA Game Changer about BF5's Downfall (English summary):

https://www.reddit.com/r/BattlefieldV/comments/ghjhea/german_journalist_and_ea_game_changer_about_bf5s/
Hello everyone,

Fabian Siegismund uploaded a video yesterday giving some insights into BF5's development and confirming a few points most of us already suspected. But why should you believe him?

Firstly, he has worked for the biggest German games magazine "Gamestar." He has basically written every preview for every Battlefield installment there is while visiting Dice very frequently to do this. He is known to be a "friend of the family." Secondly, he has been an EA Game Changer and is thus in contact with developers and higher-ups at Dice and EA, who ask him about his opinion on the game from time to time.

You can find his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Q6LK-s904. Unfortunately, it is in German (and as you can infer from my English, I am German as well). I try my best to provide you with a short summary:

• BF5's early ending was to be expected.
  
  
• He was quite enthusiastic when Dice provided him with a preview version, emphasizing that going back to Wake Island will be phenomenal. Unfortunately, Dice already told him back then that they are planning to drip feed the content and that there will be no famous map on launch.
  
  
• He was telling them to be precise with their content plan, otherwise people will be disappointed. Dice underlined that they are aware of this and will stick to their roadmap(s) no matter the cost.
  
  
• Compared to previous installments, developers were lacking excitement for their own game. He uses the words soulless and corporate to describe the employees' demeanor on the launch event.
  
  
• Dice was indeed very sulky on receiving negative feedback for their initial trailer.
  
  
• From the beginning, lacking tech was the common explanation for not impoving the assignment system.
  
  
• Dice thought that the combination of a campaign, multiplayer AND battle royale was the selling point of the game.
  
  
• He does not understand the TTK changes and the lack of a CTE. The Game Changers visited Dice for the Pacific Update, where they were told about the TTK changes. Dice allowed no argument regarding these changes.
  
  
• Strategic decisions have been puzzling and overly hasty from the start; i.e. changing customization several times behind the scenes.
  
  
• Marketing budgets were frequently decreased as EA lost faith in the product relatively early.
  
  
• Dice had problems understanding what the community wants when it comes to cosmetics.
  
  
  That's basically it. Nothing new, but confirming once again what most of us already suspected. I want to end my post by emphasizing that BF5 is not going anywhere for now. I am super happy for you if you enjoy the game and I am also sure that you will be able to find people to play with in the future.

Hitler Reacts to the End of Battlefield 5:
Hitler has some choice words for Battlefield V's developer and publisher after hearing new content for the game stops in June. Unglaublich.

If you want to see the problems in BF5 from a high level perspective this video is very good.

Why did EA/DICE try *SO* *HARD* to sabotage BFV?
I have zero idea.

Also on topic of low sales:
- They made it so you didn't have to buy it, simply by going with their monthly/yearly premium subscription thing.

...]

Late to the party but another viewpoint.

Already had a bad taste in my mouth with EA's P2W, microtransaction bonanza that Battlefront was.

Then we see a woman parading around with a prosthetic arm and shamed as woman haters when we were critical about it.

Honestly I'm sick and tired of people putting politics in games.

"We are putting a woman in a WW2 because we're great people!"

No, you put a woman in a WW2 game so you can feel better about yourselves.

Call Of Duty put women in their games better, Medal Of Honor did a better job. Why? Because a Russian sniper and a woman member of the French underground made historical sense.

Honestly, Battlefield 3/4 were the last really good Battlefield games, imo.

Already had a bad taste in my mouth with EA's P2W, microtransaction bonanza that Battlefront was.

Then we see a woman parading around with a prosthetic arm and shamed as woman haters when we were critical about it.

Honestly I'm sick and tired of people putting politics in games.

"We are putting a woman in a WW2 because we're great people!"

No, you put a woman in a WW2 game so you can feel better about yourselves.

Call Of Duty put women in their games better, Medal Of Honor did a better job. Why? Because a Russian sniper and a woman member of the French underground made historical sense.

Honestly, Battlefield 3/4 were the last really good Battlefield games, imo.

I would call BF 4 the beginning of the end. DICE did not have enough resources to develop BF4 and BF4 came out extremely raw at the start of the game, and the game was eventually made good and playable, but the tendency to release a raw product was just starting.
BF1 is a very bad product, I understood this from the very first trailer and the first video of the gameplay. And falling like an airliner online is a direct confirmation. The atmosphere of BF1 - I do not believe, this is not the First World War, this is a game about special forces where everyone fights with automatic weapons in the pseudo scenery of the First World War. And just shocked what people say - oh boy, what a good BF1 was. Even against the background of an extremely terrible product like BF5, BF1 is still a bad game.
And to be honest, I do not believe that DICE can make a high-quality BF, competent people who knew how to do it left the studio long ago.

"We are putting a woman in a WW2 because we're great people!"

No, you put a woman in a WW2 game so you can feel better about yourselves

South Park | Intellectual Smug Alert:


EA DICE messiah complex:

I loved BF1 and enjoyed BFV apart from the SP.

I loved BF1 and enjoyed BFV apart from the SP.

Did only once play BF1 but I do enjoy BFV as well, the shooting mechanics are on point imo. Takes me back to CoD2 days hehe.

Did only once play BF1 but I do enjoy BFV as well, the shooting mechanics are on point imo.

Ya the gunplay was amazing in BF5, its a shame they fucked up just about everything else. BF1 was pretty much the opposite, mediocre gun play but despite that far better overall imo. Good maps and use of the time period, fun variety of vehicles, better game modes, superior visuals, great performance few bugs, consistent experience that didn't get screwed up with gamebreaking updates, not overtly woke.

Ya the gunplay was amazing in BF5, its a shame they fucked up just about everything else. BF1 was pretty much the opposite, mediocre gun play but despite that far better overall imo. Good maps and use of the time period, fun variety of vehicles, better game modes, superior visuals, great performance few bugs, consistent experience that didn't get screwed up with gamebreaking updates, not overtly woke.

I do feel saddened that they wasted one of my favorite eras of war with this game.

Ya the gunplay was amazing in BF5, its a shame they fucked up just about everything else. BF1 was pretty much the opposite, mediocre gun play but despite that far better overall imo. Good maps and use of the time period, fun variety of vehicles, better game modes, superior visuals, great performance few bugs, consistent experience that didn't get screwed up with gamebreaking updates, not overtly woke.

I don't know why you think that, but the shooting in BF5 was bad. The weapon looked like a toy weapon and its recoil felt like it was a toy weapon shooting marshmallows. The feeling from the weapon is just awful. Both parts: BF1 and BF5 were bad, some more, some less. The catastrophic falling online BF1 and early death of BF5 are clear evidence of this.

Why did EA/DICE try *SO* *HARD* to sabotage BFV?
I have zero idea.

DICE higher-ups sabotage the entire studio, not just BFV. Don't underestimate the power of narcissistic leadership that will do and say anything to deflect criticism + responsibility.

Read the negative Glassdoor reviews and then read again as this is also relevant to many other companies including Relic "Yes man"/cronies/sucks up as that deadweight create two camps within the studio.

The employee reviews are detailed and self-explanatory. DICE still has talent but is a ship without a captain/proactive leadership/lack of a clear vision..
As DICE talent is leaving they are being replaced by cronies/sucks ups that is shielding higher ups from reality and deflect criticism. As some DICE employees explains this downward spiral can only be broken with a new DICE leadership until then the ship is doomed.

DICE nepotism/cronyism is why the current studio leadership got promoted;
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/DICE-Sweden-Reviews-E598397.htm

Cons

Cronyism and nepotism are huge problems. The previous generation of leadership is reaching retirement age and began passing the torch over a year ago. How they selected the current generation is not clear but it isn't working at all. What features make it into the game or get development time isn't dependent on how they'll improve the game but on who has your back. This is especially troublesome because current leadership, or rather the couple of people at the top, is obsessed with executing their vision at the expense of everything else.

Recent Relic employee reviews to some extent confirm cronyism and Yes-Men/cronies is a big problem for the entire studio;
https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Relic-Entertainment-Reviews-E533032.htm
https://www.coh2.org/topic/105425/coh3-failure-new-employee-review

*snip*
Unfortunately, they can and actually do influence the management to make unintelligent decisions, which costs Relic a lot of wasted time and lost opportunities.
Companies who really want to succeed and come up with great games work and feel very differently.

Your Inner Circle: Beware of Suck-Ups and Yes-Men:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/02/28/your-inner-circle-beware-of-suck-ups-and-yes-men/
Do you surround yourself with suck-ups? C’mon, be honest.

It’s perfectly natural to want to be with people who agree, support and praise you all the time. Let’s face it -- it’s comforting to have people who are always in our corner, no matter what the issue or circumstance.

Suck-ups make us feel like we’re curled up with a warm blanket. Everything is okay, even cozy. We feel safe with them. We trust them.

These are the people we often consider to be our most loyal friends because they help us feel like we’re right. Validated. Vindicated. Smart.

Well, we may be all these things at one time or another, but we are not all these things all the time. And if you find that your trusted advisors are indiscriminate in their praise, it may be time for a gut-check.

These people may make us feel good, but they’re not always good for us. In fact, we could be a pawn in their game; an unwitting accomplice in helping them achieve an unhealthy degree of power and influence over our decisions and actions.

Or, maybe they’re a pawn in ours.

Are you the kind of leader who punishes people – overtly or oh-so-subtly – for speaking up and telling you things you don’t want to hear? Do you seek out people who affirm your decisions and actions?

No one wants to admit that they do this, but a quick glance at organizational life indicates that it’s the norm, not the exception. We’ve all seen it: the leader is isolated from reality, surrounded by a small group of people who deliver the good news and hide the bad. His entire worldview is distorted, controlled by those who are feeding his perceptions. He thinks these people are protecting him. Watching his back.

Or, he simply doesn’t want to hear the truth, so he rewards the peddlers of feel-good information and punishes the purveyors of truth.

In either case, it’s a dangerous position for any leader.
*snip*

I hope this help clarify things. Now is not the time to fall into the trap of complacency.
Relic is not a cat with 9 lives. If growing pains/deadweight are not dealt with a firm hand the next talent bleed could destroy Relic inside out.

I sincerely hope Relic take action and save themselves. Stop supporting cronies. Adapt or die.

I would call BF 4 the beginning of the end. DICE did not have enough resources to develop BF4 and BF4 came out extremely raw at the start of the game, and the game was eventually made good and playable, but the tendency to release a raw product was just starting.
BF1 is a very bad product, I understood this from the very first trailer and the first video of the gameplay. And falling like an airliner online is a direct confirmation. The atmosphere of BF1 - I do not believe, this is not the First World War, this is a game about special forces where everyone fights with automatic weapons in the pseudo scenery of the First World War. And just shocked what people say - oh boy, what a good BF1 was. Even against the background of an extremely terrible product like BF5, BF1 is still a bad game.
And to be honest, I do not believe that DICE can make a high-quality BF, competent people who knew how to do it left the studio long ago.

I'd say the best thing about bf1 was its maps. While everything else ranged form mediocre to poor, a lot of bf1 maps were fantastic. IMO maps like Amiens, Argonne Forest, Fort de Vaux, Achi Baba, and Prise de Tahure carried the entire game.