After almost a year of post-release development, Battlefield V has finally cancelled its planned 5v5 competitive mode.
Since its launch in November 2018, Battlefield V has been expanded with a battle royale mode and additional temporary modes that provide alternate types of multiplayer. The 5v5 mode has been in the works for some time, but in a note posted today, the game’s senior producer Ryan McArthur stated that this mode has been cancelled.
McArthur said the cancellation of the competitive mode in Battlefield V reflects a shift in the development team’s goals. “The added focus on improving the quality of the experience and adding more of the content you want has led us to step back from our original plans to offer a competitive 5v5 mode,” he wrote. “Not creating this mode was a tough decision, but vital for us to more quickly reach our bug-crushing and content goals.”
Since launch, Battlefield V’s additional content has focused on a mixture of extra story content and maps. The game is currently in the middle of receiving new maps that focuses on fronts like Greece before expanding to the Pacific Theater. In the meantime, strange Easter eggs like a stairway to the sky and finger-gun weapon have been received with mixed results by the community.
Battlefield games have experimented with competitive modes in the past. Battlefield 1’s esports-focused Incursions mode was a 5v5 control point capturing mode that included a drafting phase for selecting weapon kits before the match and vehicles. Incursions was officially shut down last April.
McArthur indicated a continued desire to “pursue building a competitive gaming experience in Battlefield” and mentioned an increased effort to develop community tools, but it’s unclear what that could mean for the future. Regardless, Battlefield V will continue development for the time being and will continue receiving new content through to at least the next year.
