Battlefield 5's Battle Royale Mode -- DICE Explains How It Happened

During EA's E3 2018 press conference, Battlefield V developer DICE confirmed that a battle royale mode will be available in the game at some point. We caught up with DICE creative director Lars Gustavsson at the EA Play event in Hollywood and asked him where the idea came from.

He told us that games like Fortnite and PUBG are popular among DICE employees (as well as pretty much everyone else on the planet). The idea to add a battle royale mode to Battlefield V came from conversations DICE developers were having about the game inside the studio as opposed to being a directive that EA handed down to the studio, he suggested.

"I would be lying [if I said] there weren't people in the studio that would play [battle royale games] a lot," Gustavsson said with a laugh. "We enjoy it. It's good fun, and it brings a new perspective."

He added that there is "lots of good energy" at DICE related to the new battle royale mode. The newer Battlefield games already support large numbers of players; 64 players can compete together in a single match in Battlefield games. Additionally, Battlefield's trademark destruction, as well as the variety of weapons and vehicles, makes a Battlefield Royale experience sound very intriguing.

Gustavsson added that there was an "extremely big push" from inside DICE for Battlefield to add battle royale. "It's a good sign when it comes from pure passion," he explained.

Also during our interview, we quizzed Gustavvson about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 adding its own battle royale mode called Blackout. "It's interesting times," he said. "We're all game developers but also gamers. Looking forward to seeing where it takes us."

Back in May, DICE told GameSpot that battle royale was a "natural fit" for Battlefield V, though at the time the studio stopped short of confirming it. It seems EA was waiting for E3 to announce it.

Battlefield V launches in October for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. We will have more on Battlefield V and more EA games in the days ahead, so keep checking back for more.