In one week, all-out warfare begins on the PlayStation 4, as Battlefield 4 hits shelves for the next-gen console day and date with its official release date. The following week, Battlefield 4 will ship day and date alongside Microsoft’s Xbox One. Ship dates might not be news for games that have already released, but these versions are special. Reason: Battlefield 4 multiplayer on these two next-gen systems will support 64 players. Never before have console players been able to experience 64 people on the battlefield at 60 frames per second.
In preparation for the only title that will bring 64-player online multiplayer to next-gen this year, DICE has launched a blog series called “64 Reasons to Play Battlefield 4 on Next-Gen.” You can check it out here. It’s pretty entertaining, and of course it’s full of marketing speak, but the only one of those 64 reasons that really matters is that 64 people will be playing Battlefield 4 multiplayer at the same time on their next-gen console.
“I could give you 64 reasons why Battlefield 4 is the can’t-miss game of this year, but here’s the one you need: critics are saying Battlefield 4 is the first great first-person shooter of the next-generation,” said Peter Moore, Chief Operating Officer of Electronic Arts. “With the superior technology of Frostbite 3, vast environments for online team play, and the only game with 64-player multiplayer all-out warfare, Battlefield 4 is ready to bring the next-generation to life.”
See what I mean about marketing speak?
No matter. Battlefield 4, Madden NFL 25 and FIFA 14 will ship day and date with the PS4 in North America and Europe. In fact, those games will be available a few days before the actual console, if you want to really torture yourself about having a game you can’t even play. EA is following a similar early-release strategy for those games’ Xbox One versions. Need for Speed Rivals and NBA LIVE 14 will also be available for both platforms.