Battlefield V Firestorm Battle Royale Mode Won't Go Free-to-Play 'At the Moment

Fortnite or Apex Legends, Battlefield V Firestorm won't be free-to-play EA's Criterion Games confirmed

Battlefield V Firestorm is the game's battle royale mode. With the Battlefield V Firestorm release date of March 25, EA confirmed that it won't be a free-to-play mode at launch. This is in sharp contrast to other battle royale games like Fortnite and EA's own Apex Legends, both of which don't charge users anything to start playing, relying on micro-transactions like cosmetic items and battle passes. During a Battlefield V Firestorm preview event, John Stanley, Senior Designer at the EA-owned Criterion Games stated it won't happen "at the moment", which could possibly imply plans for a free-to-play option down the line.

"At the moment, it's really important for Firestorm to come out and be part of Battlefield V," he said in conversation with VG247. "Obviously there are multiple links when you are playing Firestorm that tie back into Battlefield V, so any XP you earn ties back into Tides of War and Chapter Ranks and all these kind of things. The same applies to weapons and vehicles that you use in Firestorm. It's really important for that to be a part of this at this point and be a way for Battlefield players to experience something different in the Battlefield universe. That's where we're at."

When pressed for plans for the future, Stanley said: "Nothing to talk about at the moment, no."

Battlefield V Firestorm will launch on March 25. Firestorm features a circle of fire that keeps shrinking and if players are on the edge when it shrinks, they get burned. This is an interesting take on the shrinking circle seen in battle royale games such as Apex Legends, Fortnite, and PUBG. Battlefield V is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and Firestorm will be available on all three from March 25.

Battlefield V Firestorm is a 64-player multiplayer mode where players land with no loadout, similar to other battle royale games. According to EA, the studio that publishes Battlefield games, Firestorm is a free update that will be available to all Battlefield V players.