'Battlefield 1' Unveils Incursions, Its New Competitive Esports Experience

Battlefield 1 has been a major success for EA, with over 22 million copies sold to date, but the publisher has even bigger plans for the game. Specifically, the makers of Battlefield 1 are hoping to break into the competitive esports scene with Incursions, a new mode just unveiled during EA's Gamescom livestream.

Incursions are all about 5v5 matches and fast-paced, strategic gameplay. Players will now be able to choose their kit before matches, although resources will be limited and divided via a draft. Vehicles will also be a part of Incursions, because Battlefield has to have vehicles, but they will be more difficult to earn. Developer DICE is also aiming to make Incursions as fun to watch as they are to play. How this will be achieved hasn't been made entirely clear, but DICE promises you'll be hanging on every point.

Incursions have been designed with the community in mind, with several top Battlefield 1 players being involved in testing and design:

"It's super early, but we wanted to reach out to the players and bring them in as part of the development. Watching through their eyes and seeing how they play the game has been a really amazing experience."

Can't say I'm surprised the Battlefield team are trying their hand at the esports thing – I do find the game more watchable than, say, a Call of Duty or even Overwatch. If Incursions are done right, I think competitive Battlefield could be a real thing. A Battlefield 1 Incursions closed alpha is set to kick off in September.

Battlefield 1 is currently available on PC, Xbox One & PS4, and its next expansion, In the Name of the Tsar, arrives next month. You can check out WWG's latest coverage of the game, right here.