For decades now,Battlefieldhas been one of Electronic Arts' top franchises. MostBattlefieldgames earn strong reviews and have been well-received by the community, and many of them end up being some of the top-selling games of any given year. And this includes not only themain seriesBattlefieldgames, but also the spin-offs as well, with the most successfulBattlefieldspin-off games being theBad Companytitles.
Battlefield: Bad Companyand its sequel,Battlefield: Bad Company 2, stand out from the other games in the series due to their unique narratives, sense of humor, and character-focus. Whereas most of theBattlefieldgames have players taking control of random soldiers in various historical wars, theBad Companygames instead follow the exploits of Preston Marlowe and the titular Bad Company squad in fictional conflicts.
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More emphasis is put on the single player campaigns in theBattlefield: Bad Companygames when compared to other titles in the franchise, which tend to focus almost entirely on multiplayer and treat the single player experience as an afterthought. This has helped theBattlefield: Bad Companygames carve their own niche in theBattlefieldfandom as well as appeal to people who normally wouldn’t play aBattlefieldgame. But despite the popularity of theBattlefield: Bad Companygames, EA hasn’t moved forward with a third game in the series.
It’s absolutely bizarre thatEA still hasn’t moved forward with aBattlefield: Bad Company 3, especially when one considers the runaway success ofBattlefield: Bad Company 2. While the firstBad Companygame was plenty popular,Battlefield: Bad Company 2took things to the next level, earning some of the highest critic scores out of any game in the entireBattlefieldseries and selling over 12 million copies in the process.
But despiteBattlefield: Bad Company 2being wildly successful, EA hasn’t pulled the trigger onBattlefield: Bad Company 3. Instead DICE and EA have focused primarily on releasing main seriesBattlefieldgames, with varying degrees of success. WhileBattlefield 3was a big hit,Battlefield 4was less so, and whileBattlefield 1is one of the top-performing games in the series,Battlefield Vsales didn’t live up to expectations.
The main seriesBattlefieldgames have been somewhat inconsistent, so it seems like a no-brainer to put more time between releases with spin-off games likeBattlefield: Bad Company, especially when they are as popular asBattlefield: Bad Company 2.
Remasters Or A Sequel
While EA has not made any official announcements about a newBattlefield: Bad Companygame, rumors have persisted over the years that the company has been looking into bringing the series back one way or another. Some rumors pointed to this revival being in the form ofBattlefield: Bad Companyremastersthat would enhance the original two games and bring them to modern consoles, not unlike what Activision has done with some of itsCall of Dutytitles.
Some reports indicate that aBattlefield: Bad Companyremaster was even in active development at one point, but those plans were reportedly shelved. If the rumors are to be believed, theBattlefield: Bad Companyremasters were in the works at DICE LA, but development stopped whenRespawn Entertainment’s Vince Zampella was put in charge of the studio. Now DICE LA is believed to be working on a completely original project, and there are rumblings that the studio may even change its name when it finally reveals its new game.
Win Back Fans
EA has been voted the worst company in the USon multiple occasions, and so the disdain that many people have for the company is not exactly a secret. And while calling EA the worst company in America is silly when compared to some other corporations that exist, it has definitely made some unpopular decisions over the years. One of the biggest debacles in EA’s history came just a few years ago when it andBattlefieldstudio DICE launchedStar Wars Battlefront 2.
Star Wars Battlefront 2’s loot boxes were hugely controversial, causing the game to not only be heavily criticized by fans, but also by governments all around the world. TheStar Wars Battlefront 2loot box controversy triggered a chain of events that led to the loot box model being outright banned for some games in certain countries. This unfortunate situation hurt DICE’s reputation, but it seems as though aBattlefield: Bad Company 3game could win back fans and then some.
Not only wouldBattlefield: Bad Company 3win back fans who were burned by theStar Wars Battlefront 2loot box controversy, but it could also win backfans who weren’t impressed withBattlefield V, a game that sold far less copies than its predecessor.
Saving It for Later
The latest reports suggest that EA is well aware of the demand forBattlefield: Bad Company 3, but that it is being cautious about when it decides to bring the franchise back. The nextBattlefieldgame is thecurrently untitledBattlefield2021, which is expected to take full advantage of the next-generation hardware provided by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, pushing the franchise to never-before-seen heights. MaybeBattlefield: Bad Company 3or remasters of the originalBad Companygames will be next in line, though fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
A newBad Companygame will likely happen eventually, but the fact that it already hasn’t happened is very strange and doesn’t seem to make any logical sense when one considers the incredible success ofBad Company 2, so it’s hard to gauge exactly when EA may finally pull the trigger on bringing back the belovedBattlefieldspin-off series.
