The next entry in the long-running Battlefield series has yet to be given a proper name, but the development team is being very transparent with its progress, and a recent update shows a promising look at the game's destructible environments. A group of developers collectively dubbed Battlefield Studios are in the midst of hosting Battlefield Labs, an ongoing collaboration with the franchise's fans to hopefully steer the Battlefield in the right direction.

Through a community update on Steam (via Wccftech), Battlefield Studios has demonstrated that destruction is a distinct focus for the next iteration of Battlefield, with a short clip serving as a proof of concept. It shows an RPG being fired to collapse an exterior wall of a building, which the player then climbs up and into before running through it to the other side. The community update promises that the next Battlefield will feature "more destruction-related opportunities during gameplay, as well as being able to influence your surroundings through the use of different weapons or vehicle types."

How DICE Is Approaching Battlefield Destruction

"An Integral Part Of Your Battlefield Experience"

Aside from some leaked Battlefield footage, this short clip is the best look we've gotten so far of the new game's map destruction. The community update clarifies that Battlefield Studios wants destruction to further the depth of gameplay, and result in compelling changes to the map as a game progresses. The Steam post says, "We aim to make destruction an integral part of your Battlefield experience to create an intuitive, fun, and rewarding environment where you feel empowered to shape the world around you."

Walls can be damaged from all manner of sources, from explosions to small-arms fire, and there's an emphasis on the game's visual and tactile language: "We're deg destruction around easily identifiable visual and audio language that lets you understand what can be destroyed, altered, or transformed through gameplay." As can be seen in the video, the destroyed parts of buildings crumble into piles of rubble on the ground, while the core of the building's structure remains standing.

The key to EA's new Battlefield Labs project is ongoing playtests that seem to be influencing the game's direction in increments. Playtest focus began on server performance, gunplay, and movement, but has now shifted to destruction – how easy it is to identify destructible walls, how collateral damage impacts play, how players make use of the new paths created, and, of course, balance adjustments.

The New Battlefield Has A Lot To Prove After 2042

Battlefield Needs To Make A Huge Comeback

For many longstanding fans of the Battlefield series, 2021's Battlefield 2042 is a distinct low point. Its exceptionally buggy launch and initial server issues were only a preamble to a game that lacks a lot of the series' hallmarks, and while its Specialist characters were the greatest departure from the formula, a lack of destruction is also notable. Some of this could be attributed to 2042's map design, where wide open expanses were dotted with few buildings, which, if destroyed, would leave virtually no cover in certain areas.

Destruction in general has been on a downward trend since Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in 2010, though. It's frequently among the fanbase's most requested features for a new Battlefield, yet arguably the last six mainline entries have all come with diminishing returns regarding destruction. This clip from Battlefield Labs, and this focus on destruction so early in the playtests, is a good sign for the Battlefield installment, which will need to impress right out of the gate if it wants to reverse the ill will cultivated by 2042.

Sources: Steam (via Wccftech), Battlefield/YouTube