14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Visceral Games and publisher Electronic Arts are announcing that they are planning to launch a new Competitive Match experience for Battlefield Hardline, which is designed to add value for those who are interested in the competitive side of the first-person shooter.
The mode will introduce a set of mechanics for skill-based five-versus-five player matches, and the player community will also get access to seasons, leaderboards and rewards for winners, all of them designed to keep the community engaged with the title in the long term.
The official announcement states, "In Competitive Match, play is organized into two to three week-long seasons; each season features a themed map/mode rotation created by Visceral. You can play solo or with a squad (console only), and you will be matched against players of similar skill. Do well, and your Skill Rating will go up. Do poorly, and… yeah, it’ll go down."
A new skill rating is added to all gamers who play Battlefield Hardline and will be recalculated after every match they take part in. There will be ranks that go from Cadet to Elite Gold Captain, with the best five at the end of a season getting access to a special upgrade to their Kill Card while the first placed will get recognition from the fan base.
Visceral Games also says that it is introducing two different leagues in Competitive Match for the shooter, with one of the reserved for those who have a Premium subscription, giving them access to maps and modes that are part of the expansions for the game.
Getaway is also coming to Battlefield Hardline
The launch of the new Competitive Match experience will take place when the big January update for the shooter drops later in the month and when Visceral Games also delivers the new Getaway downloadable content pack.
Gamers who get access to it will be able to experience combat on four new maps, all of them designed to show off different aspects of the game, and there are also more weapons, vehicles and gadgets that will offer players plenty of options on the battlefield.
Getaway for Battlefield Hardline is the third major DLC for the game, and that means the development team is working on another major addition for the year.
Visceral Games and Electronic Arts have already said that they will support the competitive side of the shooter for as long as there's a community interested in playing it, even if it is unlikely that more entirely new modes will be introduced.
Financial documents from the company are also confirming that a new Battlefield video game will be introduced in the fall of this year, presumably returning to the military theme that has made it famous.
It's unclear whether the team at DICE will be in charge of the new installment, given that it is also working on downloadable content packs for Star Wars Battlefront and exploring the potential to create sequels to the multiplayer-driven shooter.
An official announcement about Battlefield might be made during E3 2016.
