When I think “Battlefield,” I think “big player counts.” I can recall popping Battlefield 1942 into my PC for the first time and being in awe at the 64-player vehicular battles, a rarity at the time (generally it was one or the other). So when I hear 16 years later that EA and DICE are targeting 64 players for Battlefield V‘s battle royale mode, I’m understandably disappointed.
Speaking to VG247, live service development director Ryan MacArthur noted that when Firestorm (their take on the battle royale genre) drops in March 2019, that the “current target is 64 players” — as a note battle royale games/modes typically aim for 100. MacArthur says they first and foremost want it to “feel like Battlefield,” which is an admirable enough goal that DICE intends to use to allow it to break away from the pack, but might not be enough to really break through.
After being pressed about the potential for higher player counts in the future VG247 was shut down. That…might be it for Firestorm’s upper range, but EA intends to share more info on the mode leading into its March launch. I hope so.
“The current target is 64 players” in Battlefield 5’s battle royale mode [VG247]
Source: Destructoid DICE is still targeting 64 players for its eventual Battlefield V battle royale mode