Battlefield 5's Battle Royale Mode Launch Was A Huge Success

Battlefield V's battle royale mode, Firestorm, launched in March. It was hugely successful in bringing players back to the World War II shooter, EA management said on an earnings call today.

EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said more than 1 million people returned to Battlefield V following the release of Firestorm. Like Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex Legends, Battlefield V's Firestorm mode is a last-player-standing mode set on the biggest map in Battlefield history. The franchise's trademark destruction and vehicles are also represented in the Firestorm mode.

EA CEO Andrew Wilson said Firestorm became the "biggest Battlefield live service event ever" in its first week. The launched of Firestorm helped the game's active player figures rise by nearly 60 percent compared to the week before it launched.

Firestorm was developed by Criterion with help from DICE.

Looking ahead, Battlefield V will welcome at least two more "live service updates," starting in the summer and continuing in the fall. Each of the updates will add "more of what fans are looking for with new maps and missions." Some of the new content will be shown off at EA Play in June.

Battlefield V launched in October 2018. It sold more than 7 million copies in two months, but that was below EA's expectations. Wilson suggested on the earnings call today that Battlefield V might have performed better if the battle royale mode was available upon release.

For more from EA's earnings call today, check out the stories linked below:

• Anthem Fails To Meet EA's Expectations, But Company Is Committed To Improving It
• Apex Legends Coming To Mobile, Just Like Fortnite And PUBG