Is Battlefield 6 Coming to PS4 and Xbox One?
Getting your hands on a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S/X is close to impossible these days. In addition to the surge in demand for both consoles, Sony and Microsoft are having a hard time keeping shelves stocked with systems, mainly due to the on-going global semiconductor shortage. With that said, it makes sense that the majority of the games released in 2021 are available on both last-gen and next-gen consoles. In fact, the only notable big release that’s exclusive to next-gen consoles is Demon’s Souls for the PlayStation 5. Housemarque’s upcoming AAA title debut, Returnal, is set to join the exclusive group on April 30. However, both Demon’s Souls and Returnal are niche titles that cater to a particular group of gamers. Specifically, those who love a challenge. In comparison, franchises like Battlefield and Call of Duty rely on attracting the broadest audience possible. This is why it comes off as a shock that a recent rumor is suggesting that Battlefield 6 is not coming to the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. Tom Henderson is one of the more prominent and trustworthy Battlefield 6 leakers. He’s the same person who recently talked about what the first trailer for Battlefield 6 could potentially look like, and is the source of this latest piece of alleged info. In his most recent Twitter post, Henderson discussed the possibility of Battlefield 6 not coming to “past gen consoles”. He theorizes that the lack of concrete details about Battlefield 6 on the PS4 and Xbox One is because Electronic Arts won’t release it on those consoles. He adds that this might be also why Electronic Arts is looking to launch Battlefield 6 on the Xbox Game Pass, as doing so would make sense in terms of boosting the expected diminished player count. If EA does indeed push through with this, they won’t be the first to launch a new game on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass. People Can Fly was one of the first few who did it with Outriders. Soon after, first-party Sony title MLB The Show 21 followed suit. It wouldn’t be that farfetched of an idea for EA to do the same with Battlefield 6. Of course, this is all conjecture at this point. Until EA confirms anything themselves, we won’t know for sure if Battlefield 6 will indeed be a current-gen exclusive. However, it is telling that Wilson did not mention the PlayStation 4 nor Xbox One in the aforementioned November 2020 earnings call. The EA CEO specifically pointed out how the next-gen consoles would help “deliver a true next-gen version for the franchise”. Hopefully, EA decides to clarify everything regarding Battlefield 6 soon with an official statement and a launch date. We’re nearly halfway through 2021 and EA has yet to talk much about Battlefield 6, though we expect more news to pop up closer to the traditional holiday season release window. At the moment, there are rumors that EA is set to host a digital showcase, EA Play Live 2021, in June.
