New Battlefield 1 Mode On The Way; Monthly Updates End Soon

It's now been a year and a half since Battlefield 1's launch, and since then, DICE has released numerous DLC packs and content updates. DICE has revealed that there are still a few updates left in the pipeline, but monthly patches are going to end in June.

In a blog post, DICE explained that, now that the final DLC map pack is available, the studio will begin winding down frequent updates in the next few months. Before that, however, a couple of big changes are coming. First, the maps from the They Shall Not Pass DLC will be made playable for everyone for free; the map Rupture is already available. More maps will be unlocked for everyone in May.

In addition, a new mode is coming in June. Called Shock Operations, this is a modification on the normal Operations mode, which tasks players with battling across multiple maps in a campaign. Shock Operations will focus on one single map but will still feature sector-by-sector combat. It supports 40 players, and it'll be played on five maps. Many of these maps were added in DLC packs, but DICE is opening Shock Operations to everybody--meaning that the mode is a way to try out the maps for free.

June also marks the last month during which DICE will release a normally scheduled update. The monthly updates have previously added various changes and tweaks across the game. DICE hasn't said what its plans are after June, or whether players can expect less frequent updates.

In other Battlefield news, recent reports have suggested that the next game in the series will be set during World War II. Apparently called Battlefield V, it'll feature numerous stories as a part of its overarching campaign and will have a co-op mode. It has not been officially announced, but we know that there is definitely a new Battlefield game of some sort coming this year.