EA Can Keep Battlefield 6 Alive Indefinitely

While many game companies are often focused on delivering a product in a timely and efficient manner before moving on to the next, time sometimes stops for their more dedicated players, often for years. Battlefield 4, a title initially released in 2013, still has an active, albeit declining playerbase, and Battlefield 2042 has retained nearly half of its player base on Steam, even after reaching a peak of over 100,000 concurrent players in 2023.

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EA and Battlefield Studios, in preparation for Battlefield 6, appear to be keenly aware of the desire for players to hold onto games for extended periods and have announced that one highly requested feature will be included in the game upon its release: the ability for any player to host persistent servers.

Persistent Player Servers Will Be a Game Changer for the BF6 Community

Recently, the Battlefield 6 team outlined the benefits of its sandbox-style approach to the player experience, referred to as the “Battlefield Portal,” which will be coming to the game this time. Along with offering enhanced map editing and rule set creation tools, Battlefield 6 was revealed to give players a greater ability to create persistent, hosted servers, allowing the Battlefield 6 community to stay engaged indefinitely, potentially. Even without constant active players, persistent Portal servers in Battlefield 6, will remain in the browser for community members to join when it’s convenient.

“Included with game purchase, players will also have the ability to make their hosted servers persistent, so it’s always listed in the browser for easy access,” said the post.

This is a big deal, and one feature reveal that was highly celebrated by Battlefield fans online. Battlefield 2042 could have fulfilled this player base’s desire when it released persistent servers in Update 2.2 back in 2022. However, the rollout of this left much to be desired for some Battlefield communities due to a lack of features, a seven-day time limit, and the sticking point that only players who purchase the Battle Pass could activate a persistent server. There was also a restriction that Premium Battle Pass owners could only host one active server per account, creating a complex logistical problem for supporting an entire community of players who wanted to play different rule sets and game modes with one another.

It’s unclear exactly how many of these issues Battlefield Studios will address with this newest attempt at persistent servers with Battlefield 6. Still, what has been revealed already seems like a solid improvement over what came before. The Battlefield 6 team has been very aware of community feedback so far, responding to map size complaints and criticism of its anti-cheat Secure Boot system. So it feels like this issue was taken on with the community in mind as well.

Why Creating A Long-Term Experience is Important

Some may question why a game like Battlefield 6 needs to cater to a smaller, more dedicated core of players with features like this, when EA and Battlefield Studios probably intend to release more series titles in the future. After all, wouldn’t it be counterproductive to have an older game competing against a new release?

There are multiple answers to this question, but one big reason to make Portal servers persistent is that it increases the value proposition for many game purchasers; they feel they are getting more for their money with a stronger community. In recent years, there has been an increasing aversion to paying AAA prices for AAA games, with a new, younger generation of gamers preferring a value-oriented approach. According to survey data from Circana, younger gamers plan to spend significantly less on video games than older cohorts.

Appealing to this younger demographic’s desire for value in their games is crucial for the series’ future, as they will be the ones continuing to play the products for many years to come. This is why, in addition to offering the game at $69.99 on most major platforms, Battlefield 6 will also be available for EA Play Pro subscribers as part of the subscription fee. To both sell box copies and keep players paying the subscription fee, the developers must offer an engaging long-term experience. The gaming industry is currently undergoing a seeming transition to a subscription-based experience for customers, although it remains to be seen whether this change is temporary or permanent.

Some players also want to feel like they’re having a deeper, more fulfilling experience to explore at their leisure, even if they ultimately put a game aside in their backlog. Given the long gaps between AAA game releases in the modern era, game companies aim to keep fans engaged with the series for as long as possible, priming them for the following game announcement. The developers have an interest in controlling the conversation and avoiding any future “no pre-orders” boycotts in future titles by delivering on what fans expect.

What are your thoughts on the latest confirmation of persistent Portal servers coming to all Battlefield 6 game owners? Will this move be a winning formula to ensure player creativity can keep Battlefield 6 alive indefinitely?