In June 2018, EA chief creative officer Patrick Söderlund defended playable women in Battlefield V with a blunt message to critics: “either accept it or don’t buy the game.” The dispute followed the game’s reveal trailer and cover, which featured women soldiers. Some critics argued that the portrayal sacrificed historical accuracy; Söderlund defended the development team’s decision and the plausibility of women participating in World War II.
What did EA say about the Battlefield V backlash?
In an interview published by Game Developer (then known as Gamasutra) on June 13, 2018, Söderlund said: “We stand up for the cause, because I think those people who don’t understand it, well, you have two choices: either accept it or don’t buy the game.” Read the interview.
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Battlefield V (PS4) | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Battlefield V PS4 | $59.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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Battlefield V Deluxe Edition (PS4) | $33.17 | Buy on Amazon |
He also called critics “uneducated” and said they did not understand that the scenario was plausible, adding, “listen: this is a game.” The remark was a defense of the team’s creative choice, not an announcement that the game would change in response to criticism.
Why were people criticizing women soldiers in the game?
EA’s reveal trailer and cover featured women soldiers, prompting criticism reported at the time on social media. Some objectors framed their concern as one of historical accuracy and realism, arguing that the marketing’s front-line combat imagery did not fit their view of the war. Contemporary reports described that criticism, but do not establish that all critics shared the same motive or that it represented all players. Game Developer’s June 11 report and PC Gamer’s June 12 coverage described the argument.
#1 Best Overall
- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began.
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms.
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction.
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem.
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await.
How did Söderlund defend the decision?
Söderlund said the development team had pushed to include women and described Battlefield V as “a lot about the unseen, the untold, the unplayed.” He argued that women fought and participated in World War II, presenting that history as support for the feature. That is his rationale in the interview, rather than independent historical documentation.
Three questions should be kept distinct: whether women participated in World War II, the roles and theaters in which they served, and whether a particular character or scene shown in the game’s marketing accurately represents a specific historical setting. The interview and contemporary coverage establish how EA and critics framed the debate, but do not settle the accuracy of the particular depiction.
Rank #2
- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began.
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms.
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction.
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem.
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await.
What happened to the game after the controversy?
EA announced that Battlefield V would launch worldwide on November 20, 2018, for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Origin for PC, with digital and retail availability. EA’s launch announcement also described the game’s War Stories and multiplayer and outlined planned Tides of War content. See EA’s launch announcement.
On August 30, 2018, EA said the launch had moved four weeks. In the same announcement, it revised its FY2019 net bookings guidance from $5.55 billion to $5.20 billion, citing the later launch, foreign-exchange rates, and a revised mobile forecast. EA said about $115 million of the guidance change was driven by foreign-exchange rates. These were company forecasts, not final results or a measure of Battlefield V sales; EA’s announcement did not attribute the delay or guidance revision to the backlash. Read EA’s August 30 update.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- World War 2 as You've Never Seen It Before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began
- 64-Player Multiplayer in the Chaos of All-Out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive Grand Operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative Combined Arms
- The Most Physical Battlefield Yet - Maneuver through the battlefield using a new soldier move set, fortifications, and mobile tools of destruction
- Play Untold War Stories - Witness human drama set against global combat in the single player War Stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem
- Tides of War - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await
Rank #3
- World War 2 as you've never seen it before - Take the fight to unexpected but crucial moments of the war, as Battlefield goes back to where it all began 64-Player multiplayer in the chaos of all-out War - Lead your Company to victory in all-out multiplayer with new experiences like the massive grand operations mode. Take on classic modes like Conquest or squad up with friends in the cooperative combined arms
- play untold war stories - witness human drama set against global combat in the single player war stories. Ski down Norwegian mountains as you battle for control of nuclear weapon supply lines, join the frontline with the French colonial troops, or go behind enemy lines in North Africa with a band of misfits sent to create mayhem tides of war - Embark on a journey where new content drops continuously transport you and your Company to a huge variety of key WW2 locations, where new battlefields and gear await
- Firestorm now available in Battlefield V. Prepare for an all-out War of survival in a quest to become the last squad standing
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