Why Battlefield 6’s ‘Console First’ Agenda Seems Controversial on Paper, But is It Really?

As Battlefield 6 gets closer to launch, more information about what to expect is coming to light, and as the hype grows, many are eager to learn more. Battlefield 6 has been a long time coming, as its predecessor, Battlefield 2042, marked a low point for the series, making a lot of fans excited about the next entry’s promise of returning to form.

One of the most recent pieces of fresh news may come as a surprise to a lot of longtime fans. In an interview with IGN, technical director Christian Buhl and senior console combat designer Matthew Nickerson spoke about Battlefield 6, revealing that the game is taking a “console first” approach. With the Battlefield franchise’s roots being with PC, this may shock some, but as the fan base has grown far beyond its early days, focusing on consoles ultimately makes the most sense.

An Effort to Combat Cheating

In the IGN interview, one of the main reasons consoles are being put before PC is due to the cheating that the latter continues to struggle with. Buhl said, “Obviously, cheating is much more prevalent on PC than on console, but we are taking a lot of effort, putting a lot of work into prioritizing fighting against cheaters. We’ve turned on secure boot. We’ve got Javelin, our new anti-cheat system, which is required in order to play.” Another way Battlefield 6 devs are combating this, though, is by a toggle switch that turns off crossplay with PC.

There is one downside to this, though. Once PC crossplay is disabled, players will only be able to play with others who are on the same console. So, Xbox and PlayStation players will not be able to play together when turning off PC crossplay. On the other hand, though, when crossplay is turned on, PlayStation and Xbox users will be given matchmaking priority before PC players are used to fill in the rest of the lobby, further demonstrating the “console first” mindset.

The Battlefield series has come a long way since Battlefield 1942, and the games have become incredibly popular on consoles. Of course, PC still makes up a large number of the player base, but PlayStation and Xbox are just as much of a strong home for the franchise, and with two platforms outnumbering one, EA making that a priority only makes sense.

Battlefield 6 is Ready to Shake Up the Fall Lineup

Battlefield 6 launches on October 10.

The game will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

After its incredibly successful Open Beta, the hype surrounding Battlefield 6 has reached a fever pitch, making for an exciting fall launch. With Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 set to be released a month later on November 14, the latter half of the year is bound to be a thrilling showdown between two of gaming’s biggest military shooters.

As the wait grows shorter, more news about Battlefield 6 is bound to show up, and when the game is finally here, it will be interesting to see how these console-focused approaches pan out. Some longtime fans may not like the use of the phrase “console first,” but with the franchise being available on console since 2005, it makes the most sense.