The launch of EA’s new FPS battle royale game, Battlefield RedSec, is not going down well with fans. Piggybacking off the launch of Battlefield 6, the biggest release in series history, fans of the main game are being rubbed the wrong way.
Just hours after its release, RedSec sits at a “mostly negative” reception on Steam with fans reporting countless issues with the mode itself as well as the fact that the new mode is being pushed to players through the main game’s challenge system.
Battlefield RedSec is a functioning Battle Royale mode with the mechanics of BF6, and there are players praising the game. For example, one positive review explains that the new mode is “slow paced, destructive, and fresh”, and there are many players enjoying the standalone free-to-play experience.
However, for those that like the game, there are also issues. For example, bizarrely, Battlefield RedSec does not have any options for a solo queue, allowing you to jump into the game on your lonesome for a truly immersive battle royale experience.
Additionally, the mode suffers from the same technical issues plaguing the main game. For example, the bloom issue on many BF6 guns is also present here and the same netcode issues that cause guns to deal zero damage are also still ingesting all modes of the game.
The biggest issue surrounding Battlefield RedSec, however, is the fact that the mode is being pushed towards players like a sick dog. Battlefield 6’s already-controversial challenges system – which rewards players with XP for completing specific feats – now includes challenges from RedSec within the UI for the main game.
Of course, this is because both Battlefield 6 and its RedSec spin-off boast cross-progression between both experiences. However, the push to take up half of the challenges with new RedSec challenges has rubbed players the wrong way.
Pushing RedSec challenges into Battlefield 6’s UI only annoys the core fanbase.
“I wouldn’t hate it so much if I wasn’t forced to play it for challenges in the main game. But I am. So I do,” one player said. “This is not why I bought Battlefield 6.”
“I do not like being forced to do challenges for the battle royale, when I’m just interested in playing the base game,” said another. “Please keep battle royale challenges separate from the standard multiplayer; if you want to have some multiplayer as a timed mode for the battle royale, that’s fine, but please keep it separate.”
There’s also one other issue: the map. Since launch, players have begged Battlefield Studios to bring larger maps to the core Battlefield 6 experience. While the current maps within the core game are quite sizeable, they’re significantly smaller than the larger maps of past games whereas the new battle royale mode actually launches with one big map.
All in all, the release of RedSec has not been popular with the core Battlefield audience, although there are plenty of fans jumping into the new mode without issue. What’s clear is that there are some misstep, and pushing RedSec challenges into Battlefield 6’s UI only annoys the core fanbase there for the series’ iconic gameplay.
