While EA undoubtedly have their issues, they’ve gotten so much higher at supporting their big-name multiplayer video games. It appeared protected to imagine that when Battlefield 1‘s ultimate DLC module – Apocalypse – was launched, that the sport would discover itself placed on a back-burner. Instead, Dice recently announced {that a} new playmode referred to as Shock Operations was in growth for the sport, plus they’re making strikes to open up extra of the premium DLC maps to these with solely the essential version of the sport.
Surprisingly, it feels like Dice are chopping no corners with the addition of Shock Operations, headed to the sport someday this May. It’s a 40-player mode designed to be a quicker, meaner, single-map model of the present multi-map Operations mode. One factor it’ll carry over from its long-haul cousin is introductory and ending cutscenes for every of the 5 maps supported.
Interestingly, all 5 of Shock Operations’ maps – Giant’s Shadow, Prise de Tahure, Lupkow Pass, Zeebrugge, and River Somme – are taken from the sport’s DLC content material, however will probably be obtainable for all to play through the brand new mode, no expansions wanted. Similarly, Rupture, a map from the French-themed They Shall Not Pass pack, has already made the transition from premium to straightforward format, with no restrictions on what modes it may be performed in totally free.
Following this present trajectory, and seeing what happened with Battlefield 4’s DLC not long ago, I wouldn’t be in any respect shocked if EA made all of Battlefield 1’s DLC free in some unspecified time in the future not too lengthy after the launch of the subsequent recreation within the collection. It’s good PR, it brings an present group collectively, and it offers an excellent commercial for the collection as an entire. Turns out that good enterprise doesn’t all the time need to contain bleeding your followers’ wallets dry.
Sadly, it does seem like the Shock Operations would be the final main characteristic coming for the sport, until Dice have one ultimate shock lined up. They do point out that content material updates will proceed till June, however that doesn’t precisely give them a lot time to hammer out new content material earlier than formally transferring on to their subsequent undertaking. Still, it’s good to see them going that additional mile, even after the DLC mines are all tapped out. Good on them.
