EA and DICE’s reveal event for concluded on Wednesday with a whopper of a “real-time” gameplay trailer—and an apparent about-face from the developer’s previous microtransaction strategies.
The military shooter sequel will launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC on October 19, with pre-order and special-edition versions unlocking on October 16, while EA Access members (only on XB1/PC) get an even earlier crack on October 11.
The reveal video starts with a fast-moving cinematic sequence that follows a four-strong crew of British soldiers storming a home on a battleground. Bullet holes puncture the house’s walls and let in crepuscular rays of light while other elements of the house fall apart, especially once one soldier jumps through a window and looks back to see much of the structure crumble under the weight of advancing tanks. Shortly after an advancing-tank, crashing-plane sequence, the trailer’s perspective is that of a first-person shooter, and a giant Axis-versus-Allies battle interface appears while guns rattle and volumetric plumes of smoke and fire envelop the entire scene.
Time will tell whether this reveal video truly compares to the real gameplay coming to PCs and consoles this October. In the meantime, EA and DICE revealed some harder, welcome news: ‘s core online gameplay—including modes, maps, weapons, and accessories—will all be included in the retail purchase price. Players will not need to buy a season pass or mission packs to access any maps in the game. Microtransactions will be limited to cosmetics, as confirmed by VentureBeat, and players will pick through a “company” menu between battles to customize looks as they see fit.
The game’s livestream event included a hard confirmation from DICE senior producer Andreas Morell that no “pay-to-win” system will ever appear in —meaning the game’s players shouldn’t expect to confront any -style currency system to access higher-level perks. We’re still waiting to hear exactly how progression for new weapons and items will work, however, along with more info on the new, vaguely hinted-at “Grand Operations” mode—which sounds suspiciously like a 100-player “battle royale” mode.
