Battlefield V just can’t seem to catch a break. The WW2 shooter was beset with various pre-release controversies, sales have lagged compared to past Battlefield games, and for the past couple weeks debate has raged over changes to the game’s time to kill (TTK) and time to death (TTD) rates. Developer DICE recently tweaked TTK, in order to make the game a bit more accommodating for less-skilled players. Perhaps unsurprisingly, hardcore Battlefield players have not reacted well, and now DICE is backtracking.
DICE issued an apology for the TTK controversy a few days back…
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“[We’d] like to apologize for the silence over the past couple of days on the TTK topic. We’ve seen it’s been a big talking point and causing a divide in the community, which was never our intention. We have been listening closely to what you’ve all been saying. Changes to the game carrying this kind of weight needs clearer, earlier communication before getting rolled out. We will improve how we roll out updates in the future and respond more quickly when you have questions or concerns.”
…and have now announced they’re completely rolling back the changes.
“Our intent with the TTK changes was to see if we could evolve the Battlefield V experience and make it more enjoyable for new players, whilst also making sure the Battlefield vets have a choice with a more ‘core’ experience suiting their preferred play-style. Clearly we didn’t get it right. Veteran players didn’t ask for the change, but as game developers, we took it upon ourselves to make those changes based on extensive data and deliberation. It truthfully wasn’t an easy decision for us.
We have learned a lot over the past week. We’ve gained clarity on the issues you’ve shared with us around TTD, we’ve identified imbalances in weapons, and have recorded real-world data on how TTK changes our game and impacts players. We have a better idea of how to improve the game going forward, and have already begun taking steps to improve the experience for all our players, new and veteran.”
The Battlefield V TTK changes will revert tomorrow (December 18) at 4am PT. It will be a server-side update, so no download will be required.
Battlefield V is available now on PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
