Electronic Arts has released a new trailer for Battlefield V today, which you can watch above. After the controversial debut trailer angered some fans (it has more dislikes than likes on YouTube), this video takes a more traditional (a less woman-lead) approach. Battlefield V releases on October 11 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
The first trailer for Battlefield V followed a woman amputee in the war who fights in a setting that feels more colorful than what we’ve seen from past World War II games. A contingent of fans complained on social media in places like Reddit that the game didn’t “look” like World War II, with specifically pointing to the female character as “unrealistic.” The new video goes back to the formula that EA has used for games like Battlefield I, showing a montage of action played over a cover of a famous song.
It’s a less risky approach, and gamers seem to be responding. The top comment on YouTube states, “Now that’s a trailer.”
The kinds of backlashes we saw from the first trailer have become more prominent in gaming culture with the rise of the likes Twitter and Reddit. In the past, some even complained about Battlefield 1 including black soldiers. Whether it is actually historically accurate or not (it is, as African-Americans fought in the war), some gamers will complain that studios are trying to use their games as platforms to spread diversity or their “liberal agenda.” Social media has helped the whiners organize and amplify their voices.
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The new video still has some color, but many places have that war-torn, desaturated look that we’re used to seeing in these kinds of games. Women also feature less prominently in this trailer, although we do see a bit of a black woman soldier in action.
The video closes with a tease of Battlefield V’s battle royale mode, with a ring of fire closing in on a group of soldiers.
