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News

The Battlefield 1 Open Beta Was EA's Biggest To Date

by Joe Juba on Sep 15, 2016 at 09:48 AM

If you love numbers and Battlefield, you should check out EA's latest post that breaks down some statistics about the recently completed Battlefield 1 beta.

The most impressive detail is the sheer number of players: 13.2 million over the course of the beta, making it the largest beta EA has ever conducted. DICE and EA are also sharing various stats about how different people played, including numbers of kills on horseback, number of melee kills, and the most popular classes.

That last point deserves some extra attention, since the Medic class was conspicuously underused compared to its peers. In a game focused on balanced team play, that shouldn't be the case, and indicates that DICE needs to devote some extra attention to the Medic before the game releases. But learning stuff like that is what betas are for. 

Battlefield 1 launches on October 21.

[Source: Battlefield.com]

 

Our Take
If you were worried that Battlefield Hardline may have damaged the brand's military credibility, these numbers should give you some encouragement. Millions of people are clearly still excited about the Battlefield franchise, though we won't know if that excitement will translate into sales until after release.